One of the best-known but also most controversial artists in Austria is dead: Hermann Nitsch died on Monday evening at the age of 83. This was announced by his family on Tuesday. Among other things, he became famous for his orgy and mystery theatre.
“I never wanted to shock people, I wanted to create intensity with my work,” Hermann Nitsch once said in an interview about his work. The thoroughly controversial artist became known in the 1960s for his actionism, which was also criticized as a blasphemous spectacle.
Born in Vienna on August 29, 1938, his childhood was marked by the turmoil of war. Only a few months before he saw the light of day, Austria was annexed to Nazi Germany. His father died in the war, Nitsch was raised by his mother alone. “I was really scared to death at that age and understood what it means to die, to lose your apartment and not have a home. I do believe that this dramatic situation left something in me,” Nitsch is quoted as saying in a catalog text.
Source: Nachrichten
