ANA

She herself chose the title of her first exhibition, quite simply her original Croatian first name: ANA. For the first time, the BRUSEUM now focuses on the life and work of Anna Brus and highlights her role in and for Viennese Actionism.

Anna Steiner was born in 1943 in Viškovci, Croatia and came to Austria as a displaced person at the end of the war. In Lannach, at the end of the 1950s, she got to know Günter Brus at the inn and on the edge of the football pitch. Since 1961 she has been his wife, partner, first provider and later manager, his inspiration, a co-actor in his actions, his ultimate support and his fiercest critic.

Coming from modest beginnings, during the 1960s she was thrust into the centre of the avant-garde in Vienna and became caught up in a maelstrom of media condemnation and social outrage, which was also a demanding experience for her. She became a co-actor and discussion partner not only for Brus, but also for Otto Muehl and Rudolf Schwarzkogler, who dedicated their own actions to her. She went to the abattoir for Hermann Nitsch to find offal for his Orgien Mysterien Theater. With her intuitive understanding of artistic intentions and her brave commitment, Anna Brus became an essential contributor to Viennese Actionism. Her original profession of seamstress also finds its way into art, one of the many facets to be explored in this exhibition.