A visionary artist and thinker, Gustav Metzger asked provocative questions about the role of the artist and of conventional forms of artmaking and display. In this richly illustrated publication, edited by Karen Marta, Metzger tells the story of his life, art and political activism in a series of interviews with the curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, conducted over more than two decades.
Together attesting to the undimmed urgency of Metzger’s artistic position, the book coincides with the artist’s exhibition ‘And Then Came the Environment’ at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles, Metzger’s first solo exhibition in the city and second major show in the United States.
Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Publishers
With remarkable candour that speaks to the long friendship between artist and interviewer, Metzger recounts his Orthodox Jewish childhood in 1930s Nuremberg and his arrival in England as part of the Kindertransport, his impressions of wartime London, as well as time spent in Leeds, Bristol and King’s Lynn as a young man.
demonstration of autodestructive art using acid on
nylon, King’s Lynn, 1960 © National Portrait Gallery
Photo: John Cox
‘Good art has to have many layers of meaning, so that every century can use it as needed at the time. Gustav Metzger’s art has many layers, but the most important is his ability to predict the future of mankind. This is why he is so relevant and important today.’
Marina Abramović
Shedding light on his development as an artist, Metzger reflects on his early contributions to computer art, his leading role in London’s Destruction in Art Symposium of 1966 and his call for an art strike from 1977 to 1980. An artist for our times, Metzger’s uncompromising commitment to combating environmental destruction was fundamental to his understanding of art as a vehicle for change. Over seventy years, he wrestled with the contradictions of his time, championing both ‘auto-destruction’ and ‘auto-creation’ in science, ecology, politics and art as equally important tactics to address the state of humanity. This publication offers an insight into his thinking about ecology and nature and, in the later part of his life, the threat of extinction
Obrist’ (2024) Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Publishers
About the Gustav Metzger
Born in Germany, Gustav Metzger (1926 – 2017) was an artist whose legacy is profoundly rooted in political and artistic activism. At the heart of his practice were the constantly opposing yet interdependent forces of destruction and creation. Metzger’s auto-destructive art sought to provide a mirror of a social and political system that he felt was unwittingly progressing towards total obliteration. Comprehensive solo exhibitions highlight the significance of Metzger’s oeuvre, presented at major institutions such as MMK Frankfurt, Germany; Serpentine Gallery, UK; Fundación Jumex, Mexico; MAC Lyon, France; and New Museum, New York.
Gustav Metzger: Interviews with Hans Ulrich Obrist
Release date: 10 September 2024 (UK / Europe), 5 November (US + ROW)
Edited by Karen Marta. Text by Gustav Metzger, interviewed by Hans Ulrich Obrist.
English
Hardcover
17 x 23.6 cm, 288 pages
ISBN: 978-3-906915-0
£38 / $45 / €42
©2024 Hauser & Wirth Publishers
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