Auto-destructive art
Description
Auto-destructive art (ADA) is a form of art invented by Gustav Metzger, an artist born in Bavaria who moved to Britain in 1939. Taking place after World War II, 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. Read more ↗
Key Artists
Gustav Metzger
Founder and principal theorist of Auto-destructive art; issued the foundational 1959 manifesto and staged public demonstrations using acid on nylon sheets to critique nuclear warfare and industrial capitalism.
John Latham
Pioneering British artist whose 'Skoob Towers' (towers of books intentionally burned in public ceremonies) exemplified destructive processes and anti-institutional dissent.
Jean Tinguely
Swiss kinetic sculptor who created self-destructing mechanical spectacles, most famously the monumental 'suicide machine' Homage to New York in 1960.
Raphael Montañez Ortiz
Leading practitioner of destructive art whose piano destructions and ritualistic object dismantling challenged colonial and institutional violence.
Yoko Ono
Key participant in destructive and participatory performance art; her seminal piece Cut Piece invited audience members to systematically cut away and destroy her clothing.
Wolf Vostell
German painter and early pioneer of Happenings and dé-coll/age who incorporated television destructions and car crashes into public events.
Famous Artworks
Fun Facts
Gustav Metzger organized the historic Destruction in Art Symposium (DIAS) in London in September 1966, bringing together artists, scientists, and psychologists from 10 countries to discuss the role of destruction in contemporary society.
↗ Source: tate.org.uk
During Jean Tinguely's 'Homage to New York' performance at MoMA in 1960, the self-destroying machine caught fire unexpectedly early and had to be put out by the New York City Fire Department before completing its full cycle.
↗ Source: moma.org