Nouveau réalisme

New Realism (French for New Realism ) refers to a loose group of artists to the art critic Pierre Restany that arose as a programmatic movement in early 1960.

History

The first manifesto of this new realism, Les Nouveau Réalistes, will be published in April 1960 in the catalog of a Milanese group exhibition of French and Swiss artists in the Gallery Apollinaire in Milan. Yves Klein and Pierre Restany, Arman ( Armand Fernandez ), François Dufrêne, an Ultra- Lettrists, Raymond Hains, Martial Raysse, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely and Jacques de la Villeglé signed then, on 27 October 1960 in Klein's apartment, this constitutive Declaration of new Realism (La Déclaration constitutive du Nouveau Realism ) officially, it says: " The ' new Realists ' of their own collective uniqueness have become aware of. New Realism = new approximation of the perception of the real. "Nine copies of the manifesto ( seven on blue, one each in pink and gold colored paper) were signed.

Forty degrees above Dada, Au 40 ° ( Quarante degrés ) au dessus de Dada, the second manifesto, was also the title of the first exhibition at the Galerie J by Jeannine Restany in May 1961 in Paris. Pierre Restany text introduces the exhibition catalog. César ( César Baldaccini ) and Mimmo Rotella had joined the group, Gérard Deschamps and Niki de Saint Phalle be added. Christo (Christo Jaracheff ) participated in exhibitions while, but was never officially a member. In the fall of 1961, almost all members of the New Realists took part in the exhibition The Art of Assemblage, which was organized by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the concept of assemblage introduced into the art historical literature.

End of 1962, a major international exhibition of the New Realists, the International Exhibition of the New Realists, in New York took place. 54 artists presented works. The event was the Sidney Janis Gallery. Restany people, along with the Italians and British and a Swede speak with the young American and some British Pop Art artists.

Restany catalog essay was reprinted only shortened Sidney Janis held the statements made by the French supposedly meaningless. The text Restany for the Second Festival of New Realism in Munich, New Realism. What is your view on that? , Les Nouveaux Réalisme. Que faut -il de penser? , Applies in 1963 as a last manifesto of the group. 1970 celebrated the members with an exhibition of their tenth and final anniversary in Milan, which ended with a " funeral banquet "; Spoerri had created for the occasion for each member of a representation of his works.

The work of the New Realists

The members had set itself the target to blow up the lofty status of fine art and - in Abkehrung to abstract informal art - to integrate the reality of daily life into art with new techniques and materials, and contributed significantly to the development of object art and the early forms in action art.

In the ugliness of the waste they saw the beauty of art. As " Plakatabreißer " acted example Dufrêne, Hains, Rotella and Villeglé by taking up the imagery is torn or pasted over billboards. Arman used the contents of wastebaskets, Spoerri conserved abgegessene tables and tipped them into the vertical, Deschamps put together or rag corsets. Tinguely built useless machines from scrap, César pressed car bodies to cubes, small as a loner with its monochrome panel paintings created images with flamethrowers and blue-colored women's bodies, Saint- Phalle shot at with paint on front panel, so that the gradients arose from the accident.

Exhibitions (selection)

The group itself:

Thematic exhibitions:

• 2001: Power of things: New Realism, Pop Art, Hyperrealism, Museum of Modern Art, Ludwig Foundation, Vienna
• 2007/2008: New Realism - revolution of everyday life, Sprengel Museum, Hannover