Hermann Nitsch

Hermann Nitsch was one of the leading members of the Viennes ‘Action’ group that sprung up in the early 1960s. His interdisciplinary practice encompassed performance, painting and musical composition. Nitsch explored themes of ritual, sacrifice and human experience through visceral and often unsettling works.

Nitsch was born in 1938, in Vienna, Austria. He studied at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, where he developed an interest in religious iconography and mythological themes, including communion, sacrifice, crucifixion, death and resurrection, that would later permeate his work. In the early 1960s, he co-founded the Viennese Actionism (‘Wiener Aktionismus’) movement alongside artists like Günter Brus, Otto Muehl and Rudolf Schwarzkogler. This movement sought to highlight the inherent violence of humanity through extreme performances that were deliberately shocking and ritualistic

Nitsch’s ‘Orgien Mysterien Theater’ performances combined elements of ritual ceremonies and visual art to create an immersive, multi-sensory experience. In these ‘actions’, Nitsch used animal carcasses, entrails and blood, drawing parallels to religious rites and questioning the boundaries of art and morality. The fabrics used in these performances led Nitsch to the realm of paintings.

In 1960, the artist began experimenting with pouring swathes of oil paint onto canvases. His Schüttbuild, or ‘pour paintings’ reflect his fascination with the process and physicality of painting itself. Nitsch continued exploring and developing an abstract and gestural style in the 1980s, incorporating a performative element and physicality into his paintings.

Despite the controversy surrounding his work, Hermann Nitsch remained a significant and influential figure in contemporary art, working across over five decades. He exhibited at the 2013 and 2011 Venice Biennale. Nitsch died in 2022, aged 83.