Gustav Metzger
History History
Publication to the exhibition from May to August 2005.
Ed. by Sabine Breitwieser. Preface by Dietrich Karner. Introduction by Sabine Breitwieser. Texts by Justin Hoffmann, Kristine Stiles, Andrew Wilson and Gustav Metzger.
Gustav Metzger (1926 Nuremberg, GER - 2017 London, UK) had an
unmistakably radical and revolutionary approach to art since the early 1960s. His artistic production was firmly rooted in the political, economic, and ecological issues of his day. For example, he reacted to the massive threat posed by the nuclear arms race with manifestos and demonstrations. Metzger's aesthetic concept, Auto-Destructive Art, addresses the twentieth-century's destructive potential and was intended as a direct attack on both the capitalist system and the art industry.
This monograph offered the first comprehensive overview of Metzger's oeuvre. lncluded are also his series Historic Photographs, which are direct links to Metzger's experience as a Holocaust survivor. An illustrated chronology outlines the artist's activities within the historical and political context in which they originated. Thus, for the first time, tribute was paid to Metzger not only as an artist, but also as an activist.