Gustav Metzger Retrospective at TOWER MMK

TOWER MMK presents the first museum retrospective of Gustav Metzger in Germany, curated by Susanne Pfeffer and Julia Eichler. This extensive exhibition, running from July 27, 2024, to January 5, 2025, showcases the life and work of Gustav Metzger (1926–2017), a pioneering artist whose contributions to art and activism continue to resonate.

Gustav Metzger was a refugee, survivor, stateless person, carpenter, gardener, anarchist, antiquarian, environmental activist, intellectual, and artist. Born in Nuremberg in 1926, Metzger’s early life was marked by profound experiences, including witnessing Nazi parades and escaping to England on one of the last Jewish Kindertransports in 1939. Tragically, his parents and most of his family were murdered by the Nazis.

Metzger’s encounters with human violence fueled his commitment to highlighting the systematic destruction of nature and advocating for its preservation. During the nuclear arms race, he authored Auto-Destructive Art manifestos, advocating for art that was created with the intent of its own destruction. In 1960, he co-founded the Committee of 100 with Bertrand Russell, aiming to raise awareness and promote peace through various forms of activism, including manifestos, symposia, and public interventions.

Throughout his life, Metzger’s work delved into the inexplicable nature of violence, history, and particularly the Holocaust. His art sought to foster understanding and challenge suppression and forgetting. This retrospective at TOWER MMK features many works on public display for the first time, providing a comprehensive look at Metzger’s influential career.

Ben Lewis aptly described Metzger as “Born in Nuremberg, at home in London, he is perhaps the most important artist that Germany never had.”