Following extensive renovation and expansion, the WIENER AKTIONISMUS MUSEUM will reopen on March 25, 2026, with an exhibition of extraordinary impact: HERMANN NITSCH. 1960 to 1965. Numerous previously unpublished works offer insight into the early creative phase of one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. The focus is on works created between the ages of 22 and 27 that reveal the foundations of Nitsch’s later body of work.
The exhibition traces the young artist’s development from his early
“Schütt- und Rinnbilder” (pouring and channel paintings) through his “Reliktmontagen” (relic montages) to works created even before 1960.
It documents his journey from a technically trained graphic designer to an independent artist and the emergence of a distinctive visual, gestural, and performative language in which the body, material, and ritual play a central role.
The selected works illustrate the consistency with which Nitsch, even at a young age, formulated the artistic principles that shape his work and establish his lasting influence on art history.
The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the NITSCH FOUNDATION.
Wiener Aktionismus Museum (WAM)
Since its opening in 2024, the WAM has been the only place in the world to permanently present Viennese Actionism as the most radical art movement of the 20th century and place it in a contemporary context.
Photographs, drawings, sculptural objects, and a comprehensive documentation of its leading figures – Günter Brus, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch, and Rudolf Schwarzkogler – provide the basis for scholarly exploration of this art, which remains relevant today.
HERMANN NITSCH. 1960–1965
26 Mar 2026 - 5 Jul 2026
Wiener Aktionismus Museum
Weihburggasse 26, 1010 Wien, Österreich
Ausstellungsansichten, WIENER AKTIONISMUS MUSEUM, 2026 / Bildrecht, Wien 2026
