Opening the Archive: the ABCs of ZERO
by
Barbara Könches (editor)
Call Number: N6494.Z47 O64
Publication Date: 2024
In The ABCs of ZERO, writers, scholars, and authors from the fields of art, music, sociology, and theater tell the story of this art movement-from A for atelier to Z for ZERO. Featuring a wealth of photos and documents from an era just emerging from the ruins, but facing the future with optimism, this book recalls a moment in time of peaceful utopia in Europe. Challenging traditional concepts of art, for the ZERO avant-garde, the atelier became the exhibition space and books were a way to disseminate art. International thinking united the young artists of the 1950s and 60s, whose network extended from Düsseldorf to Milan, Brussels, Paris, and Zagreb. Kinetics and light replaced brush and canvas, and new music played in the background. They also tried to get closer to nature with the concept of the Open Artwork.