From 30 November 2006 to 22 January 2007 the Nationalgalerie Berlin will be the guest of the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin. The Verein der Freunde der Nationalgalerie is staging the first retrospective in Germany devoted to the complete works of the Viennese Actionist. Hermann Nitsch (b. 1938) has developed the Orgies Mysteries Theatre,
a theatrical form that combines painting, music, drama and performance
with liturgical-religious elements. One of the key fundaments of the
Orgies Mysteries Theatre are the mystery feasts of antiquity, which
enacted a purifying catharsis – a pivotal concept that continues to
significantly influence the artist’s work today.
Hermann Nitsch remains one of the most controversial contemporary
artists. His work provokes protest and antagonism. It polarises the
public.
The curator Britta Schmitz (Nationalgalerie) has developed an
exhibition concept tailor-made for 18 rooms of the Martin-Gropius-Bau,
one which in particular creates an ideal setting for Hermann Nitsch’s
large, multipart works. Loans from numerous museums and private
collections abroad ensure that certain works can now be seen in Berlin
for the first time in decades. The works on show include key pieces
from Nitsch’s oeuvre, such as the “Existenzaltar”, 1960, Museum für
Moderne Kunst, Vienna, nine “Stations of the Cross” and the “splatter
paintings”, which determined the artist’s distinctive “signature” for
decades and decisively shaped his style between Abstract Expressionism
and Action Painting.
Other highlights of the exhibition are the famous “Geißelwand”, 1963,
Museum Ludwig, Cologne as well as the “Asolo Raum” and the “Schömer
Raum”, 1973 and 1998, respectively, from the Austrian private
collection Essl. The Berlin exhibition in the Martin-Gropius-Bau will
also feature numerous musical scores and drawings, photo documentation
and films of earlier actionist performances. A special music room as
well as a fragrance-room complete the retrospective on the eclectic
productivity of this exceptional artist. On a 18 meter screen the
visitor will witness Nitsch’s 122nd action of the Orgies Mysteries
Theatre in the Wiener Burgtheater (Vienna). The documentation of the
action will be played in its full length of nearly four hours.
This first retrospective on the work of Hermann Nitsch in Germany
provides the public and the media with a unique opportunity to
appreciate in detail the complete works in all their diversity and the
important positions of Viennese Actionism and the Orgies Mysteries
Theatre in 20th century art.
A catalogue will be published by Verlag Walther König.
Press conference: November 29, 2006, 11 a.m.
Exhibition opening: November 29, 2006, 8 p.m.
Open to the public: November 30, 2006 - January 22, 2007
