Asger Jorn Biography, Artworks
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JORN, Asger (1914-1973)
Born at Vejrun ( Jutland), Denmark. Began life as a schoolmaster, then in 1936 he went to Paris, studied painting under Fernand Léger and collaborated with Le Corbusier at the Temps Nouveaux pavilion of the Paris World's Fair in 1937. In 1938, with the architect Dahlmann Olsen, he launched the magazine Helhesten. From 1938 to 1948 he worked hard in Denmark and joined the Host and Spiralen groups. From 1948 to 1951 he was a prominent member of the Cobra group ( Copenhagen-Brussels-Amsterdam), supported the movement for an imaginist Bauhaus, and joined the Situationist International and the Surindépendants. Held his first one-man show in 1948 at the Galerie Breteau, Paris, and took part in the first International Exhibition of Experimental Art, Amsterdam, 1949. Settled in Paris for good in 1955 and made his first trip to Italy, putting in several long stays there in the next few years and coming into contact with the members of the Nuclear Art group. One-man shows in Rome (Galleria dell'Asterisco, 1954), Milan (Galleria del Naviglio, 1955), Venice (Galleria del Cavallino, 1957), Paris (Galerie Rive Gauche, 1957, 1958, 1960). Exhibited his Modifications in 1959 at the Galerie Rive Gauche. His work was represented at the Fifty Years of Modern Art exhibition ( Brussels World's Fair, 1958), the Carnegie International, Pittsburgh ( 1958), the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London ( 1958), Vitalità nell'Arte, Venice ( 1959), Documenta II ( Kassel, 1959), and the traveling exhibition of European Art Today ( United States, 1959-1960). Besides painting, his activities extend to engraving, sculpture and ceramics; one of his ceramics, made during the summer months at Albisola ( Italy) for the high school at Aarhus ( Denmark), measures 100 by 10 feet. He has also illustrated several books by Danish authors.
Bibliography:
E. Jaguer, Preface to the Jorn Exhibition, Galleria dell'Asterisco, Rome, June 1954. -- E. Jaguer, Catalogue Preface, Galleria del Naviglio, Milan, October 1955. -- J. Prévert, Catalogue Preface, Galerie Rive Gauche, Paris, June 1957. -- R. Bertelé, Catalogue Preface, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, May 1958. -- Y. Taillandier, Catalogue Preface, Galerie Rive Gauche, Paris, May 1960.
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