Otto Muehl's Autobiography Reissued in French
Les Presses du réel has reissued Otto Muehl's 1977 autobiography 'Sortir du bourbier' in French, with a new postscript dated September 2001. The book recounts Muehl's youth in Grodnau, Burgenland, Austria, and his service in the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Bulge, where he witnessed horrific scenes of blood, snow, and mud that he later described as an 'unheard-of work of art.' This experience informed his later Actionist works. Muehl also details founding a commune near Vienna. The reissue includes a postface by Sophie Delpeux.
Key facts
- Otto Muehl's autobiography 'Sortir du bourbier' was originally published in 1977.
- The French reissue includes a postscript dated September 2001.
- Muehl grew up in Grodnau, Burgenland, Austria.
- He was conscripted into the Wehrmacht at age 18 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
- Muehl described the arrangement of corpses and mud as an 'unheard-of work of art.'
- The book sheds light on his Actionist period.
- Muehl later founded a commune near Vienna.
- The postface is written by Sophie Delpeux.
Entities
Artists
- Otto Muehl
- Sophie Delpeux
Institutions
- Les Presses du réel
- Wehrmacht
Locations
- Grodnau
- Burgenland
- Austria
- Vienna
- Ardennes
Sources
- artpress —