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Günter Brus is dead, he was 85 years old

Photo: Hans Punz/dpa

He was one of the most renowned artists in Austria: The painter and writer Günter Brus is dead. He died on Saturday at the age of 85, as a spokeswoman for the Vienna Actionism Museum told the AFP news agency on Sunday. The APA news agency had previously reported on the death.

Brus, who lived in Berlin for several years, became known as one of the main representatives of Viennese Actionism. Brus, born on September 27, 1938 in Ardning, was the only living main protagonist of this movement.

Together with Otto Mühl, Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogler, who were later convicted of child abuse, Brus founded body art in the 1960s, which later became known as Viennese Actionism. His actions, which often spectacularly ventured into taboo areas, addressed the individual's rebellion against the state and society.

In one of his most striking actions, the artist walked through Vienna in 1965, dressed entirely in white and painted with a black line. He was arrested during the legendary “Vienna Walk” and sentenced to a fine for “disturbing public order.”

Brus sang the national anthem – and urinated, defecated and masturbated

In June 1968 he took part in the “Art and Revolution” campaign, and a scandal broke out: Brus urinated, defecated and masturbated during his appearance at the University of Vienna while singing the Austrian national anthem. He was then sentenced to six months in prison for denigrating Austrian state symbols. To avoid punishment, Brus fled to Berlin with his wife and child in 1969, where he stayed for ten years.

In Berlin he founded the magazine "Die Schastrommel, Organ of the Austrian Government in Exile" with colleagues. From the beginning of the 1970s, Brus left activism behind and concentrated on drawing, painting and writing. However, his works remained offensive, such as his graphic novel “Irrwisch” with colorful obscenities. The work was exhibited at Documenta in 1972.

After the insults, the honors

Brus subsequently wrote novels and plays and worked as a set designer and composer. In his 2007 memoir “The Good Old Vienna” he looked back on the time of his performance art.

After the insults came the honors for Brus: He received the Great Austrian State Prize for Fine Arts and the Oskar Kokoschka Prize, was awarded the Medal of Honor for Science, Research and Art of the State of Styria in 2018 and the Ring of Honor of the City of Graz in 2023.

His works are exhibited in his hometown of Graz in his own museum, the so-called Bruseum. The Vienna Action Museum will open in March and will also be dedicated in detail to his work.

kae/AFP