Gustav Metzger Explained

Gustav Metzger
Birth Date:	10 April 1926
Birth Place:	Nuremberg, Weimar Republic
Death Place:	London, England, UK
Education:	Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Known For:	Auto-Destructive Art
Movement:	Fluxus, Art Strike

Gustav Metzger (10 April 1926, Nuremberg – 1 March 2017, London) was a stateless artist and political activist who developed the concept of Auto-Destructive Art and the Art Strike. Together with John Sharkey, he initiated the Destruction in Art Symposium in 1966. Metzger was recognised for his protests in the political and artistic realms.

Early life and education

Metzger was born to Polish Jewish parents in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1926 and came to Britain in 1939 as a refugee under the auspices of the Refugee Children Movement.^[1] He lost his Polish citizenship and was stateless since the late 1940s.^{[2] [3]} He received a grant from the UK Jewish community to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp between 1948 and 1949. It is with an experience of twentieth century society's destructive capabilities that led Metzger to a concentrated 'formulation of what destruction is and what it might be in relation to art.'^[4]

Metzger became a vegetarian in 1944 and remained a strong advocate of vegetarianism throughout his life.^{[5] [6]} He was among the first to take a stand against environmental pollution and nuclear proliferation.^[6]

Career

His experience of twentieth century society's destructive capabilities led Metzger to a concentrated 'formulation of what destruction is and what it might be in relation to art.'^[4] He was known as a leading exponent of the Auto-Destructive Art^[7] and the Art Strike movements. He was also active in the Committee of 100 - a 'named' member^{[8] [9]}

In 1959, Metzger published the first auto-destructive manifesto Auto-Destructive Art.^[10] This was given as a lecture to the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in 1964, which was taken over by students as an artistic 'Happening'. The Architectural Association published, in 2015, a facsimile edition of Metzger's lecture transcript.^[11] In 1962 he participated in the Festival of Misfits organised by members of the Fluxus group, at Gallery One, London.^[12] Guitarist Pete Townshend from The Who studied with Metzger, and during the 1960s, Metzger's work was projected on screens at The Who concerts.^[13] Metzger also worked with Cream, providing them with light shows in the 1960s.^[14]

In 2005, he selected EASTinternational which he proclaimed to be "The art exhibition without the art."^[15]

Throughout the 60 years that Metzger produced politically engaged works, he incorporated materials ranging from trash to old newspapers, liquid crystals to industrial materials, and even acid."^[16]

From 29 September to 8 November 2009, the Serpentine Gallery featured the most extensive exhibition in the UK of his work.^[12] Exhibits included the installation Flailing Trees, 15 upturned willow trees embedded in a block of concrete, symbolising a world turned upside down by global warming. He felt that artists are especially threatened, because so many rely on nature as a big inspiration. Metzger stated that "artists have a special part to play in opposing extinction, if only on a theoretical, intellectual basis."^[16]

Metzger was a non-smoker and teetotaller who did not drink coffee or English tea. He carried around his own supply of green tea and was described as a vegan in his later years.^[17] He lived and worked in East London.^[18]

Works

Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art

This was originally made in 1960 and remade as Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art in 2004.^[19]

Liquid Crystal Environment

Liquid Crystal Environment was originally made in 1965 and remade in 2005.^[20]

Historic Photographs

This ongoing series of work consists of enlarged press photographs of catastrophic events of the 20th century presented to the viewer using confrontational and experiential methods.^[21]

Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art

This was a recreation of the original demonstration made in 1960.^[19] An integral piece of the installation at the Tate Britain, a bag containing rubbish, was erroneously disposed by a cleaner on 30 June 2004.^[22] Metzger declared the piece ruined and created a new bag as a replacement.^[18]

Flailing Trees

Originally conceived for Manchester Peace Garden and commissioned by Manchester International Festival in 2009, this work consists of uprooted trees inverted into a concrete block in a powerful environmental memorandum of man's destructive capabilities and violation of Nature.^[23]

Influences

The painter David Bomberg, the leading light of the Borough Group, taught Metzger and was influential in his development. Metzger was also influenced by the artwork of Johannes Vermeer and the naturopathy of Edmond Szekely.^[24]

Death

Metzger died at the age of 90 at his home in London on 1 March 2017.^[25] He is buried on the east side of Highgate Cemetery.

Legacy

When Metzger was lecturing at Ealing Art College, one of his students was rock musician Pete Townshend, who later cited Metzger's concepts as an influence for his famous guitar-smashing during performances of The Who. He has also influenced the self-eating computer virus works by the digital artist Joseph Nechvatal.^[26]

Further reading

• Metzger, Gustav, Writings (1953–2016), edited by Mathieu Copeland, JRP Editions, 2019, .
• Metzger, Gustav Act or Perish! – A Retrospective. Nero, 2016, .^[27]
• Metzger, Gustav Auto-Destructive Art: Metzger at AA, Architectural Association, 2015, .^[11]
• Metzger, Gustav, Auto-creative Art, edited by Mathieu Copeland, 2013, http://www.lespressesdureel.com/EN/ouvrage.php?id=3057&menu=
• Voids A Retrospective, Edited by Mathieu Copeland with John Armleder, Laurent Le Bon, Gustav Metzger, Mai-Thu Perret, Clive Phillpot, Philippe Pirotte. JRP Editions, 2009, http://books.jrp-editions.com/pages/index.php?id_r=4&id_t=&id_p=7&id_b=1355&search=voids&page=1&total=1
• Stiles, Kristine, Synopsis of the Destruction in Art Symposium (DIAS) and Its Theoretical Significance. The Act 1 (Spring 1987), pp. 22–31.
• Stiles, Kristine, Thresholds of Control: Destruction Art and Terminal Culture. Out of Control. Edited by Gottfried Hattinger and Karl Gerbel, Linz, Austria: Ars Electronica & Landesverlag, 1991, pp. 29–50.
• Stiles, Kristine, Survival Ethos and Destruction Art. Discourse: Journal for Theoretical Studies in Media and Culture 14:2 (Spring 1992), pp. 74–102; reprinted in Kristine Stiles, Concerning Consequences: Studies in Art, Destruction, and Trauma. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016.
• Stiles, Kristine, Uncorrupted Joy: International Art Actions. In Out of Actions: Between Performance and The Object 1949-1979. Edited by Russell Ferguson and Paul Schimmel, pp. 226–328.
• Stiles, Kristine, The Story of the Destruction in Art Symposium and the ‘DIAS Affect’. Gustav Metzger. Geschichte Geschichte (History History). Edited by Sabina Breitwieser, 41-65. Vienna and Ostfildern-Ruit: Generali Foundation and Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2005, pp. 41–65.
• Stiles, Kristine, Metzger’s Fierce, Poignant, and Prescient Manifestos. Rett Kopi Documents the Future. Edited by Rett Kopi. (Oslo, Norway: Rett Kopi), pp. 157–166.
• Stiles, Kristine, Introduction to the Destruction in Art Symposium: DIAS and Discussion with Ivor Davies. Link 52 (September 1987), pp. 4–10.
• Anna-Verena Nosthoff, "Art After Auschwitz: Responding to an Infinite Demand: Gustav Metzger’s Works as Responses to Theodor W. Adorno’s “New Categorical Imperative”." Cultural Politics 10 (3): 300–319. (Duke University Press)

See also

• Anti-art
• Destruction in Art Symposium

External links

• News: Searle. Adrian. Gustav Metzger: an artist who tore down the old to build the new. The Guardian. 2 March 2017.
• Radical Art, Gustav Metzger
• UCSB Department of English Course Materials: Gustav Metzger

Notes and References

1. News: Gustav Metzger: the liquid crystal revolutionary . Jones . Jonathan . 2 March 2017 . The Guardian . 28 September 2009.
2. Web site: Gustav Metzger . Printed Matter.
3. Book: Performing Archives/Archives of Performance . Museum Tusculanum Press . 2013 . 9788763537506 . Gunhild Borggreen . Rune Gade . illustrated . 87.
4. Pioneers in Art and Science: Metzger (film), Ken McMullen (film director) 2004
5. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/mar/03/gustav-metzger-obituary "Gustav Metzger obituary"
6. Breitwieser, Sabine. (2017)."Gustav Metzger (1926–2017) In the Words of Sabine Breitwieser. textezurkunst.de. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
7. Alan Liu, (2004) The Laws of Cool, University of Chicago Press, pp. 330–331.
8. Peace News, 15 September 1961, p 9
9. News: 'Auto-destructive art' pioneer Gustav Metzger dies at 90 . 2 March 2017 . Washington Times . 2 March 2017.
10. Kristine Stiles & Peter Selz, Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings (Second Edition, Revised and Expanded by Kristine Stiles) University of California Press 2012, pp. 470–471
11. Web site: Auto-Destructive Art: Metzger at AA AA Bookshop. aabookshop.net. en-US. 2018-03-07.
12. Web site: Gustav Metzger . Anglia Ruskin University.
13. News: The man who inspired Pete Townshend to smash his guitars – Gustav Metzger, pioneer of auto-destructive art, has died aged 90. The Telegraph. 2017-03-05. en-GB.
14. Web site: Music: Auto-destruction - anyway, anyhow, anywhere. . 22 October 2011.
15. Web site: BBC - Norfolk - Entertainment - EAST International '05. BBC Norfolk.
16. Hanamirian, Jocelyn. "Gustav Metzger at the Serpentine Gallery London." Modern Painters, September 2009.
17. Feinstein, Elaine. It Goes with the Territory: Memoirs of a Poet. Alma Books. p. 57.
18. News: Cleaner bins rubbish bag artwork . 2 March 2017 . BBC News. 27 August 2004.
19. http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=89527 Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art
20. http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=89531 Liquid Crystal Environment
21. Jones, A. Introduction to the Historic Photographs of Gustav Metzger, Forum for Holocaust Studies, University College London, retrieved 30 August 2006.
22. Jones, S. 2004. How auto-destructive art work got destroyed too soon , The Guardian, retrieved 31 August 2006.
23. News: Art and design,Art (visual arts only),Manchester international festival,Exhibitions,Environment,Culture,Sculpture (Art and design),Installation (Art and design). Guardian. 8 November 2011 . London. Christopher. Thomond. 30 June 2009.
24. https://www.frieze.com/article/gustav-metzger-influences "Gustav Metzger: Influences"
25. News: Gustav Metzger, pioneer of auto-destructive art, dies aged 90 . Brown . Mark . 2 March 2017 . . 2 March 2017.
26. Alan Liu, (2004) The Laws of Cool, University of Chicago Press, pp. 331–336 & 485–486.
27. http://www.neromagazine.it/n/?page_id=26285 Gustav Metzger, Act or Perish! – A Retrospective, 2016.