Gunter Brus
Work Orbit
26 February – 18 April 2004
Neue Galerie Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum
Sackstrasse 16, 8010 Graz / Austria
www.neuegalerie.at
Curator: Monika Faber
Image: Gunter Brus, Self-painting 1, action, Atelier Sailer, Vienna 1964
Photo: Ludwig Hoffenreich
Gunter Brus is one of those great European artists of the last third of the 20th century whose work represents the medial variety that is so characteristic of that era, and at the same time also, by crossing the traditional boundaries between genres, creates a new image of the artist.
The central role Gunter Brus played in “Vienna Actionism” (1964-1970) is manifested in the radicalness with which he used his own body as a medium for his performances. As a consequence of these “actions” the artist had to leave Austria. He turned to increasingly narrative drawing works in Berlin. In comprehensive painting cycles during the last decades (the first was “Irrwisch”, a book project, 1971), Gunter Brus reached a rich synthesis of the figural, calligraphic and textual components of his compositions, the iconography and language of which are shaped by fantastical new creations. His desire to reach ever new contexts is demonstrated in his book illustrations for classical as well as contemporary pieces and his works for theater and contemporary composers.
This exhibition – held on the occasion of Gunter Brus’ 65th birthday – was organized by and shown first in the Albertina, Vienna. After its presentation in Graz it will be on view in Kunsthaus Zug and Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Bologna. The exhibition stretches across the chronology of works by Gunter Brus, covering a wide variety of fields, both in medium and subject, which all undermine the traditional criteria of categories and present the stringency of his art works always as work on the human body. In Graz the exhibition is extended by important works from the collection of the Neue Galerie and of Grazer private collections.
“Gunter Brus | Work Orbit” presents early (hitherto unexhibited) abstract drawings (around 1958), action studies, photographic and film documents of the actions (1964-1970), photo collages, drawings and pastel sheets (since 1971) as well as a selection of the picture poem sequences.
Contact:
Neue Galerie Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum
Sackstrasse 16, 8010 Graz / Austria
T +43-316-82 91 55
F +43-316-81 54 01
Opening times:
Tues-Sun 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thur 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
