Auto-Destructive Art
Auto-Destructive Art (ADA) is a form of art coined by Gustav Metzger, an artist born in Bavaria that moved to Britain in 1939. Taking place after World War II, Metzger wanted to showcase the destruction created from the war through his artwork. This movement took place in England and was launched by Metzger in 1959. This term was invented in the early 1960s and put into circulation by his article "Machine, Auto-Creative and Auto-Destructive Art" in the summer 1962 issue of the journal Ark. Auto, meaning self, and destruction, meaning causing damage to, this art movement highlights how objects can create self-harm.
This movement sparked after World War II. Before World War I, artists approached art very traditionally, with paint and paper. As seen in Impressionism and Expressionism, artwork before war was inspired by everyday life. After World War I, artists began to introduce new styles of art that used different medias and techniques. Cubism and Dadaism were at the heart of these new techniques. Auto-Destructive Art follows these newer techniques by taking everyday objects and causing damage. Destructive art is similar to Dadaism in the way is rejects past concepts in order to not only redefine art, but also to bring light to issues. Although similar to Dadaism, ADA was a movement of its own due to the style and time period. After World War II, many artists turned to Abstract Expressionism, but ADA differed with its focus on destruction.
Auto-Destructive Art was highly influenced by World War II. After the many casualties and mass destruction, people around the world were distraught and horrified. In comparison to World War I, World War II had a different influence on art due to the extensive use of aircraft and the introduction of nuclear weapons. These weapons greatly inspired artists to approach art using new means such as corrosion, stress, or heat. ADA represents the war and its casualties. Artists in this time period wanted to explore issues in new ways. In order to explore these issues in the industrial society, Metzger encouraged artists to work with scientists and engineers.
Auto-Destructive Art’s purpose was to draw attention to the destruction of previous beliefs. By allowing stress and natural forces to create damage after an initial mark, the art is auto-created. This represents how man sparked and created destruction. The destruction also represents the chaos caused by the government. Politics was a major driving force of ADA artists. In interviews, Metzger expressed his dislike of politics and commercialism. Metzger believed the “aesthetic of revulsion” would add to the idea of the corrupt, capitalist system. By damaging the art itself, Metzger is able to question the idea of what art is. He goes against the idea of egocentrism in the artistic world. Metzger believed that in order to bring light to the corruption in politics, he must remove himself and his work from the art. He even states in his manifesto that “Auto-destructive art mirrors the compulsive perfectionism of arms manufacture - polishing to destruction point.” This excerpt reflects the idea that many ADA artists shared. They wanted to withdraw from mass production, commercialism, and manufacturing.
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