Wolf Vostell

Wolf Vostell was the pioneer of Fluxus, happenings, performance art, multimedia and environmental art, and, alongside Beuys, the best-known German artist of the 1960s.

Born in Leverkusen on 14 October 1932, died in Berlin on 3 April 1998. He regarded his happenings (and his art), which he termed ‘De-coll/age’, as ‘objet trouvé of found life’ and ‘experiments in life’, into which he intervened creatively (through scores) with the participation of the audience. His happenings were intended to reveal social contexts and thereby broaden awareness. Vostell is also regarded as a pioneer of video art. Vostell agreed with the Fluxus movement that the artist should simply shape his own life: “Art is life; life can be art.”