At the age of 83: performance artist Hermann Nitsch is dead

Hermann Nitsch made intensive art – his materials included: blood, entrails, animal carcasses. The action artist not only polarized in his home country of Austria. Nitsch has now died at the age of 83.

“Doing justice to all men is an art that no one can master.” As if Hermann Nitsch, the Austrian, had taken this old German proverb as a model, he didn’t even try to please everyone with his art.

Born in Vienna in 1938, the father was killed in the war, the mother took care of little Hermann alone – who, by the way, didn’t like this first name for the rest of his life. Later, friends often addressed him as “Nitsch”. What was also wanted, as the artist, who had long been popular at the time, said on the occasion of his 75th birthday: “I’ve done something as ‘Nitsch’ and would also like to be called ‘Nitsch’,” said the artist at the time ORF.

He has done something, indeed. The early desire to become a church painter remains a short-lived desire; he ended his work as a commercial artist at the Technical Museum in Vienna in favor of provocation, the new, breaking taboos: the poured pictures.

Blood, guts, animal carcasses

As the name suggests, Nitsch and other representatives of the new Viennese Actionism pour paint – with him it is often red – directly from their containers in lavish quantities onto large areas. But they go even further, also working with blood, entrails, animal carcasses – over time Nitsch was given the nickname “Blood Artist”. Later he will say: “I actually always wanted to make intense art, and intense art has always been provocative – automatically.”

But not everyone likes it. Nitsch was attacked in the 1960s, was constantly at odds with the authorities, especially when he was younger, was brought to court, was even imprisoned, and fled to Bavaria in 1968. Success follows – or travels around the world with Nitsch. An important stop: 1972 the Documenta in Kassel.

Much success, much misunderstanding

A few years later the return to Austria, more precisely to Lower Austria. Prinzendorf Castle became his most important place of residence and work. Large exhibitions, more acceptance, 1984 the Austrian art prize for visual arts, his expressive, often anarchic pictures achieve high prices. Nevertheless: Criticism, protests and a lack of understanding remain companions. In 1998, for example, when he staged his orgy-mystery theater for six days, bringing music, texts and art together in a large-scale performance. There are protests and calls for the spectacle to end.

Just last year, the man, who created an icon of himself with a long beard, hat and black clothes, caused a stir with a controversial live painting campaign – in Bayreuth, at the festival. On the open stage he designed a semi-staged “Valkyrie” performance. A lifelong dream comes true, one last highlight. There will be no new edition of the six-day game in Prinzendorf that was only recently announced.

Asleep peacefully

Nitsch died on Easter Monday at the age of 83. He fell asleep very peacefully, and this is really worth mentioning after this exciting life, his wife explained. His work will live on, said Austria’s Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen in a first reaction. Nitsch positioned Austria internationally with his action art and wrote art history.