Museum of Viennese Actionism
The Museum of Viennese Actionism is undertaking a challenging project: an exhibition showcasing the artistic works of Otto Muehl. Over 150 of his paintings, objects, films, and prints are on display and open to discussion.
Six chapters trace Muehl’s artistic development from the early 1960s to his being sentenced in 1990. The first part of the exhibition covers the period before he founded the commune and features works from the era of Viennese Actionism, including Actionist paintings, the destruction of the panel painting, and a series of politicians’ portraits.
One chapter is devoted to his commune, its development at Friedrichshof, its societal and socio-theoretical background, and its collapse following Otto Muehl’s conviction for the sexual abuse of minors.
The second part of the exhibition focuses on two cycles from the commune years: Muehl’s engagement with the Neo-Expressionism of the 'Neue Wilde', and two series in which linear drawing formally dominates. In terms of content, these two cycles contrast the tranquillity and beauty of the Parndorf Heath with a world in disarray: an expression of the loss of illusory stability, both biographically and socially.