Viennese Actionism
In the 1960s, Muehl's aim was 'to overcome easel painting by representing its destruction process'. He made rhizomatic structures with scrap iron ("''Gerümpelplastiken''"), but soon proceeded to the "''Aktion''" in the vein of the New York Happenings. In 1962, when he was 37, the first "''Aktion''" "''Die Blutorgel''" was performed in Muehl's atelier on Perinetgasse by Muehl himself, Adolf Frohner, andFrom art to life
Gradually, Muehl began to distance himself from "''Aktion''". He regarded the "happening as a bourgeois art form, mere art". The "transition from art to life" resulted in the founding of the Friedrichshof commune as a kind of anti-society. The declared aim was the destruction of bourgeois marriage and private property, free love, and collective education of the children. In 1974 he played a small role as a member of an anarchic/therapy commune inMuehl's authoritarianism at Friedrichshof commune
Critics such as former community member Andreas Schlothauer point to Muehl's strong authoritarian tendencies. For example, Muehl did not expose himself to the rituals of the Aktionsanalyse. He required members to crush the "body armor" (after Wilhelm Reich) and in some individual cases he experimented with the so-called “Watschenanalyse” ("slapping analysis"). He also created a "structure", in which all community members were placed in a hierarchical pecking order by numbering them. He established a "first wife" and prepared his son to become his successor. Paradoxically, in the hierarchical level right below Muehl was a strong matriarchal element of rival women, according to Schlothauer.Artistic activity after Actionism (1971 to 2013)
From 1971 onward, Muehl produced no more public actions. He because a painter in the expressionist style, and held regular lessons on painting for his communards in his Friedrichshof commune. He also directed several short movies there, such as the "Friedrichshofer Kinderfilme" (Children's Films of Friedrichshof), which starred the children born within the commune. While serving prison time for the sexual abuse of minors, Muehl continued to be artistically engaged: he painted around 300 pictures and wrote about art theory. In spite of his Parkinson's disease, Muehl continued to be artistically active into old age. In 2002, he developed a method of digital painting that he called "electric painting films". Between 1998 and his death Muehl had two major solo exhibitions at the Vienna Museum for applied art. In 2010 Muehl celebrated his 85th birthday, on this occasion the Leopold Museum in Vienna showed an extensive exhibition of his late work.Public apology
In 2010 Muehl issued a public apology regarding the role he played in the Friedrichshof Commune. The apology was read out in a press conference before the opening of his exhibition at Vienna's Leopold Museum.Quotes
* "I've surely made mistakes in the community, but certainly not in sexuality." (Arte Metropolis, 8 December 2001) * "Why should the government dictate when you should have sex?” (FAZ, 22 February 2004) * "I'm not a child molester. This is nonsense. The girls were all developed. "(DIE ZEIT, 26 February 2004) * "The statement of young people in the courtroom at that time made me speechless. I wanted to free them, but instead, I overwhelmed and offended them with sexual transgression. It definitely was not my intention. I hope they forgive me."Further reading
* ''Aus dem Gefängnis'', Klagenfurt, Ritter-Verlag, 1997 * ''7'', (Exhibition catalogue) MAK Vienna, 1998. * ''Impossible: The Otto Muehl Story'' by William Levy, New York: Barany Artists, 2001 * ''Leben/Kunst/Werk'' (Exhibition catalogue), MAK/ König; Vienna/ Köln, 2004 * ''Writings of the Vienna Actionists'', by Malcolm Green, London, Atlas Press, 1999References
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