Wolf Vostell

Critical text

A significant figure in the Fluxus movement, Wolf Vostell (1937, Leverkusen – 1998, Berlin) is one of post-war Germany’s most versatile artists, creating pioneering works in the genres of installation, video art, environmental and relational art works, as well as sculpture and painting. Vostell’s relationship to painting is multifaceted. After having focussed on performances and events in the previous decade, he returned to painting as a central aspect of his practice in the 1970s. His works from this time are characterised by rough but subtle imaging, and often used large formats to engage in dialogue with Spanish influences¾Vostell was living in Spain during this period¾including Goya and Picasso. Subsequently, Vostell deepened his engagement with artistic movements throughout Europe, notably in Paris. The artist had a long history with the city, having studied there in the 1950s, and works including his depictions of May 1968’s uprisings in St-Germain-des-Prés (1970–84) exemplify this connection which Vostell cultivated throughout his life. His works depict iconic Parisian landmarks situated alongside television sets. These pieces bespeak Vostell’s interest in the interstices between painting and sculpture and how an artist of vision can intervene in the breach. The loyal following of younger artists Vostell claimed owes a great deal to the sense of adventure his Paris works express.

Text by Anna Gritz