Auto-Destructive Art (ADA) is a form of art coined by
Gustav Metzger
Gustav Metzger (10 April 1926, Nuremberg – 1 March 2017, London) was a German 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 ...
, an artist born in Bavaria who moved to Britain in 1939. Taking place after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Metzger wanted to showcase the destruction created from the war through his artwork. This movement took place in England and was launched by Metzger in 1959. This term was invented in the early 1960s and put into circulation by his article "Machine, Auto-Creative and Auto-Destructive Art" in the summer 1962 issue of the journal ''Ark''.
History
This movement sparked after World War I. Before
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, artists approached art very traditionally, with paint and paper. As seen in
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
and
Expressionism, artwork before war was inspired by everyday life. After World War I, artists began to introduce new styles of art that used different medias and techniques.
Cubism and
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
ism were at the heart of these new techniques. Auto-Destructive Art follows these newer techniques by taking everyday objects and causing damage. Destructive art is similar to Dadaism in the way it rejects past concepts in order to not only redefine art, but also to bring light to issues. Although similar to Dadaism, ADA was a movement of its own due to the style and time period. After World War II, many artists turned to
Abstract Expressionism, but ADA differed with its focus on destruction.
Influences
Auto-Destructive Art was highly influenced by World War II. After the many casualties and mass destruction, people around the world were distraught and horrified. In comparison to World War I, World War II had a different influence on art due to the extensive use of
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
and the introduction of
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s. These weapons greatly inspired artists to approach art using new means such as corrosion, stress, or heat. ADA represents the war and its casualties. Artists in this time period wanted to explore issues in new ways. In order to explore these issues in the industrial society, Metzger encouraged artists to work with scientists and engineers.
Purpose
Auto-Destructive Art’s purpose was to draw attention to the destruction of previous beliefs. By allowing stress and natural forces to create damage after an initial mark, the art is auto-created. This represents how man sparked and created destruction. The destruction also represents the chaos caused by the government.
Politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
was a major driving force of ADA artists. In interviews, Metzger expressed his dislike of politics and
commercialism. Metzger believed the "aesthetic of revulsion" would add to the idea of the corrupt,
capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
system. By damaging the art itself, Metzger is able to question the idea of what art is. He goes against the idea of
egocentrism
Egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between self and other. More specifically, it is the inability to accurately assume or understand any perspective other than one's own.
Egocentrism is found across the life span: in infancy, early chi ...
in the artistic world. Metzger believed that in order to bring light to the corruption in politics, he must remove himself and his work from the art. He even states in his manifesto that "Auto-destructive art mirrors the compulsive perfectionism of arms manufacture - polishing to destruction point." This excerpt reflects the idea that many ADA artists shared. They wanted to withdraw from mass production, commercialism, and manufacturing.
Artists
Gustav Metzger grew up during the Holocaust, which greatly inspired his artwork. In 1943, Metzger lost his parents to Nazi attacks. Metzger quotes "Facing up to the Nazis and the powers of the Nazi state coloured my life as an artist." Metzger would spark the damage of the art piece to represent mankind’s destruction. He then allowed natural forces to take over which symbolized how mankind’s spark can result in much more destruction than intended. Metzger later used his art to speak out against the violence we do to each other and nature. In his 2009 piece, ''Flailing Trees'', Metzger uprooted and overturned a series of trees to symbolize the brutalization done to the natural world.
![Flailing Trees in Manchester International Festival 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Flailing_Trees_in_Manchester_International_Festival_2009.jpg)
Along with Metzger,
John Latham was another influential destructive artist. Latham had an interest in "temporality" and "time based" destruction. His most recognized piece was the ''Skoob Tower Ceremonies''. Latham used stacks of books to create towers that he then set on fire. This demonstration was controversial due to the recent Nazi attacks and book burnings that took place. Latham noted that he was not against the content in the books, but rather the idea that books are the only source of knowledge.
Artist
Jean Tinguely
Jean Tinguely (22 May 1925 – 30 August 1991) was a Swiss sculptor best known for his kinetic art sculptural machines (known officially as Métamatics) that extended the Dada tradition into the later part of the 20th century. Tinguely's art ...
was also a powerful figure in destructive art with his use of mechanics in 1953. Later in his work, Tinguely wanted to focus on "dematerialization" by creating machines that would eventually destroy themselves. One very significant piece was ''Homage to New York''. This piece included a machine that created noise, paintings, and smoke before being stopped by a firefighter. The piece was meant to self-destruct and although was not able to complete its actions, still succeeded as an art piece. Tinguely believed this piece symbolized a freeing from material because once the performance was over, it was cleaned up and there was nothing left. After this piece, Tinguely was able to construct two more successful machines that did self-destruct.
Not only was destructive art seen in traditional art, but also performance art. Jeff Keen, a film-maker, included forms of destruction in his "collaged films". Keen would cut and edit scenes from pop culture, comics, and other films to create "multi-screen projections". His films were seen as disconnected and jumbled which confused viewers. Keen symbolizes destruction in his cut and edit skills of previous works. By using other sources and editing them together, Keen has destructed the old and created something new.
Techniques
Many strategies were used to create-or rather, destroy-art. Metzger used bricks, cloth, and other objects as a base for his work. He then used multiple types of harming materials such as acid or fire to create the destruction. For one piece, Metzger threw hydrochloric acid on a nylon sheet and noted that while the acid did destroy the sheet, it did create shapes. Although this piece did not have a name, it was later recreated in 2004 as part of the Tate Britain exhibition, ''Art and the Sixties: This was Tomorrow.'' Other artists explored the use of everyday objects such as books or mechanics, which expanded the concept of how seemingly mundane objects can be used to demonstrate how materialism and manufacturing should be destroyed.
Impact
One impact of ADA was the creation of the "
Destruction in Art Symposium
The Destruction in Art Symposium (a.k.a. DIAS) was a gathering of a diverse group of international artists, poets, and scientists to London from 9–12 September, 1966. Included in this number were representatives of Fluxus and other counter-cult ...
" (DIAS). Metzger was against the
art dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art.
An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationsh ...
system and aimed to get Auto-Destructive Art publicly funded, but the government would not provide funding. Metzger was against art dealing because dealers were uninterested in the "fundamental technical change". This resulted in Metzger and John Sharkey to organize DIAS in 1966, which was a volunteer based event that showcased different art forms from diverse individuals across the world. One significant performance at this event was
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
’s "Cut" piece. In this piece, presented at the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
in 1971, Ono sat and allowed the audience to cut away pieces of her clothing. Allowing the audience to cut away her clothing not only represented female vulnerability but also destroyed the traditional relationship between the viewer and the artist.
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
of
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
would later relate
destroying his guitar on stage to auto-destructive art. Band member
Keith Moon dramatically followed suit by placing explosives into his drums (at some points nearly blowing himself to pieces). In 2013,
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was desig ...
in Washington, D.C., would open an exhibit giving focus to destruction in art. The exhibit ''Damage Control: Art and Destruction since 1950'', included a range of art that demonstrates how destruction has impacted art today.
[Pollack, B. (2012, June 21). UNDER DESTRUCTION. Retrieved October 27, 2016, from http://www.artnews.com/2012/06/21/under-destruction/] Although not highly recognized or taught, Auto-Destructive Art still makes an impact on all types of artists to this day. It continues to inspire artists to disconnect from traditional art styles in order to bring attention to worldly issues.
See also
*
Anti-art
Anti-art is a loosely used term applied to an array of concepts and attitudes that reject prior definitions of art and question art in general. Somewhat paradoxically, anti-art tends to conduct this questioning and rejection from the vantage poi ...
and
Anti-anti-art
Stuckism () is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting as opposed to conceptual art.[Danger music
Danger music is an experimental form of avant-garde 20th and 21st century music and performance art. It is based on the concept that some pieces of music can or will harm either the listener or the performer, understanding that the piece in questi ...]
*''
Object to Be Destroyed'' (1923 work by
Man Ray
Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to eac ...
)
*''
Love is in the Bin
''Love is in the Bin'' is a 2018 art intervention by Banksy at Sotheby's London, with an unexpected self-destruction of his 2006 painting of '' Girl with Balloon'' immediately after it was sold at auction for a record £1,042,000. According to S ...
'' (2018 work by
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...
)
References
{{reflist
External links
UCSB Department of English Course Materials: Gustav Metzger
Avant-garde art
no:Gustav Metzger