Otto Dressler

Otto Dressler (1997)

Otto Dressler (born November 1, 1930 in Braubach ; † July 11, 2006 in Munich ) was a German sculptor and action artist .

Life

Dressler's professional career began as a stonemason and sculptor. During this time he created 43 monuments as a warning against violent killing in war and is considered to be the inventor of the alienation of art motifs from everyday life in order to use these alienations to produce an understandable and critical analysis of time for the viewer. In particular, he dealt with the issues of war, fascism and violence in his activities. Political motivation played an essential role here and he saw his art as a means of provocation . For his exhibitions and art events he often used places where many people frequented, such as train stations, airports or universities. During his life as an artist he participated in more than 230 exhibitions and art events worldwide. Otto Dressler was federal chairman of the Federal Association of Visual Artists from 1983 to 1986 and was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class in 1990. Dressler lived and worked in Moosach until his death .

Exhibitions

His exhibitions took place in many cities in Europe and the world, including Berlin (Berlin Museum), Cairo (Akhenaten Gallery), Bonn, Vienna, Moscow, Munich, Budapest, Basel, Stockholm, Duisburg, Hamburg, Kiel, Sofia , Nijmegen, Brussels, Strasbourg, Schwerin and Leipzig, as well as in the gallery of the Frankfurt airport.

Biennial

• 1987 Biennale of the Baltic States (official contribution of the Federal Republic of Germany)
• 1988 International Biennale of Art Cairo (official contribution of the Federal Republic of Germany)
• 2001 International Biennial for Satire in Art in Gabrovo , Bulgaria (Biennial Prize of the Minister of Culture)

Awards

• Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class, presented by Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker in 1989
• Bavarian Culture Medal "PRO MERITIS"
• Golden laurel for the entire work
• Prize of the Baltic Sea Biennale 1987 Rostock (FRG contribution)
• Prize of the International Art Biennale 1988 in Cairo (FRG contribution)

Memberships

• Federal Association of Visual Artists
• German Association of Artists
• International Artist Board

literature

• Birgit Jooss : Otto Dressler's seat pictures campaign . In: Anzeiger des Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Edited by G. Ulrich Großmann, Nürnberg 2010, pp. 309–311.

Web links

Commons : Otto Dressler  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Otto Dressler, der Verfremder ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
• Controversial action artist: Otto Dreßler is dead ( Memento from October 31, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
• "Art as Provocation" ( Memento from March 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
• Literature by and about Otto Dressler [1]