Finding aid for the Otto Mühl papers, circa 1918-circa 1997
Isabella Zuralski
Descriptive Summary
Title: Otto Mühl papers
Date (inclusive): circa 1918-circa
1997
Number: 2011.M.38
Creator/Collector:
Mühl, Otto
Physical Description:
47.79 Linear Feet
(108 boxes)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The archive of Otto Mühl, co-founder
and one of the main participants of Viennese Actionism, and founder of the living experiment
known as the Friedrichshof Commune, includes his complete diaries and a wealth of
theoretical writings about Actionism, the concept of Action Analysis, and life in a commune
as an alternative model of society. Also present is his correspondence; legal documents
relating to court proceedings against Mühl and other participants of Viennese Actionism;
approximately 1000 negatives and contact sheets of Mühl's actions taken by the Austrian
photographer Ludwig Hoffenreich; circa 165 sketchbooks with drawings and writings by Mühl;
and a collection of press reviews of Viennese Actionism published in Austrian and German
newspapers in the 1960s and 1970s. Also included is correspondence of Otto Mühl's family,
various family documents and records, hundreds of personal photographs, and Mühl's juvenile
drawings and writings.
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Language: Collection material is in
German.
Biographical / Historical Note
Otto Mühl, or Muehl, was one of the co-founders and participants of Viennese Actionism and
founder and mastermind of a communal living experiment known as the Friedrichshof Commune.
Born in 1925 in Grodnau, Burgenland, Austria, Mühl spent his childhood and youth with his
parents Otto and Wilma Mühl and brother Edwin, in Gols, where his father was a primary
school teacher. In 1943, he was drafted into the German Wehrmacht and took part in infantry
battles in the course of the Ardennes Offensive. His father and brother were also drafted;
only Otto Mühl and his mother Wilma survived the war.
After the war, Mühl studied German literature and history at the University of Vienna,
graduating in 1952 with a teacher's degree, and continued studies in art education and art
therapy at the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts. In 1958 he worked as an art therapist in a
home for children with developmental impairment children run by the psychoanalyst Eva
Rosenfeld, a pupil of Sigmund Freud.
Meeting Günter Brus and Alfons Schilling in 1960 was a pivotal moment for Mühl, leading him
to abandon canvas painting and to experiment with three-dimensional objects made from scrap
metal which he called Gerümpelskulpturen (junk sculptures). Mühl's goal became to overcome
traditional art forms and redefine artistic creation by representing the object's
destruction process. His junk sculptures were shown in November 1961 at the gallery Junge
Generation in Vienna in an exhibition featuring Otto Mühl, Adolf Frohner and Hans
Niederbacher. His first step towards a fundamental departure from traditional art making was
the immurement action called
Die Blutorgel (Blood Organ), which Mühl
performed in 1962 together with Hermann Nitsch and Adolf Frohner in his atelier in the
Perinetgasse in Vienna. In 1963, together with Nitsch, Mühl staged the action called
Fest des psycho-physischen Naturalismus (Celebration of psycho-physical
Naturalism), during which a kitchen dresser filled with marmalade was thrown out the window.
A fourteen day arrest followed.
Mühl, Brus, Nitsch, and Rudolf Schwarzkogler departed radically from an object-based
definition of art by developing the concept of Materialaktion (material action) where the
human body and the site of art-making are the surfaces for the production of art. Mühl's
first such action, called
Versumpfung eines weiblichen Körpers Nr. 1
(Swamping of a female body no. 1) took place in 1963. During the 1960s Mühl performed
numerous material actions which were documented on film by the Austrian avant-garde
filmmaker Kurt Kren and photographed by the Austrian photographer Ludwig Hoffenreich.
In 1966, Mühl, Nitsch, and Brus accepted the invitation of the German artist Gustav
Metzger, who invented the term Auto-Destructive Art, to take part in DIAS, or Destruction In
Art Symposium, held in London. Invited by the Swiss pioneering curator and art historian
Harald Szeemann, Mühl participated in the 1970
Happening & Fluxus
exhibition in Cologne, and in 1973 in
dokumenta 5 in Kassel.
In 1967, in the second volume of
Direkte Kunst Direct Art Arte Diretta, a
booklet issued privately by Mühl and Brus, Mühl published his radical manifesto called ZOCK,
an acronym for Zealous Organisation of Candied Knights.
ZOCK outlines "in
blueprint" Mühl's credo and subsequent activities towards the destruction of the old world
and the creation of a radically new model of society. In 1971, the manifesto was published
in Munich by Franz Knödel under the title
Zock, Aspekte einer
Totalrevolution
.
The transgressive character of the material actions with their naked bodies, public
urination and defecation, and killing of animals scandalized the Austrian public. The
actions were criticized by the press and frequently led to court proceedings against Mühl,
Brus, and other participants. The material action
Kunst und Revolution staged
by Mühl, Brus and Oswald Wiener in 1968 at the University of Vienna ended in a two-month
prison sentence for the artists. Also in 1968, after four years, Mühl's marriage to Friedl
Neiss ended in divorce.
The 1970s marked Mühl's departure from material action and performance art in general,
especially from happenings and fluxus, towards the concept of artistic and therapeutic
self-expression which he called Aktionsanalyse (action analysis). The actions became
self-representation and therapy. In 1970, Mühl founded his first commune in the
Praterstrasse in Vienna. In 1973, the commune moved to Zurndorf in Burgenland and was named
the Friedrichshof Commune. Mühl's declared aim was a new society based on the principles of
free sexuality, common property and collective education of children, and the destruction
of, in his view, bourgeois concepts of marriage and private property. During the 1970s and
1980s Mühl wrote profusely on a wide range of topics, from the role of the artist in the
commune to criticism of state authority and the need for revolution, world peace,
psychoanalysis, homosexuality, sex, gender relations, traditional marriage, raising
children, and life in the commune as an alternative model for society. His ideas were
inspired by Marxism and psychoanalysis, particularly the writings of the Austrian
psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich.
After the early 1970s Mühl did not produce any public actions in terms of the principles
associated with Viennese Actionism. He was active as a painter in the Expressionist style
and as a teacher within the Friedrichshof community. He also directed several short movies.
In 1988, despite the free-love principles and disdain for marriage he espoused to members of
the Commune, he married Claudia Weissensteiner. The commune was economically successful; a
rural property acquired in 1986 on the Spanish Canary Island La Gomera was intended to
realize a southern paradise and served as a setting for vacationing and retirement. Yet
Mühl's increasingly authoritarian behavior caused conflicts and rifts, and in 1991, after 21
years of existence, the Friedrichshof Commune experiment ended. A major precipitating factor
in the commune's dissolution was Mühl's conviction on charges of sexual abuse of minors and
drug offences. While serving a seven-year sentence at the Stein detention center he produced
a wealth of drawings and writings about art theory. After his release in 1997, he moved to
Southern Portugal.
Despite suffering from Parkinsons disease, Mühl continued to paint and make films. Since
1998 he has had two solo exhibitions at the Museum für angewandte Kunst in Vienna, and in
2010 at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. In 2010, Mühl issued a public apology regarding his
abuses of authority in the Friedrichshof Commune. It read, in part, "I wanted to free them
and instead took them by surprise and offended them with sexual transgression. it was
definitely not my intention. I hope that they will forgive me. . . I also admit that
sometimes I was too sharp towards the children of the large commune, acting as the father of
100 children, and caused damage without being aware of my wrong decisions. I very much
regret it." However, in other interviews given in the years after his release from prison
and prior to his death, Mühl showed little remorse for his actions. Otto Mühl died on May
26, 2013.
Other Finding Aids note
Ten publications, one auction catalog, and one sound recording are cataloged separately but
form part of the archive. Their individual records can be searched under the Accession no.
2011.M.38 or the Provenance phrase Otto Mühl Collection.
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers, except for unreformatted audiovisual material.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Otto Mühl papers, circa 1918-circa 1997, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles,
Accession no. 2011.M.38.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2011m38
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquired in 2011.
Processing History
Isabella Zuralski processed the collection and wrote the finding aid in 2013. Kit Messick
expanded the biographical note in 2022 to include additional information on Muehl's criminal
conviction.
Some photographic material in Series VI.B. Friedrichshof commune has been sealed pending
curatorial review.
Existence and Location of Copies
Related Archival Materials
The Harald Szeemann papers (accn. 2011.M.30 ) at the Getty Research Library include
materials related to Otto Mühl, among others circa 200 color slides and transparencies of
material actions Mühl performed during the 1960s, correspondence between Szeemann and
Hermann Nitsch concerning Mühl, as well as press clippings and letters to Szeemann from
various people regarding the 1991 arrest of Mühl and his role at the Friedrichshof
Commune.
Scope and Content of Collection
The archive contains material dating as early as 1918 to 1997 documenting the artistic
output of Otto Mühl and the history of his family. The bulk of the material concerns Mühl's
performance art from the 1960s, the so-called material actions; his theoretical writings
about Actionism and the social experiment the Friedrichshof Commune, dating predominantly
from the 1970s; and hundreds of drawings Mühl produced throughout his life and most
intensely during the first half of the 1990s while serving his prison term.
Series I documents the history of the Mühl family. There is a wealth of correspondence
between various family members; hundreds of vintage photographs from the 1920s, 1930s, and
the 1940s in Nazi-occupied Austria; as well as original school records, ID cards, and other
official documents. The material presents a unique resource for the study of the changing
social and political conditions in Austria, especially in the region of Burgenland, in the
first half on the 20th century. Most of the material in this series concerns Mühl's mother
Wilma Mühl, and includes extensive lifelong correspondence between mother and son.
Series II consists of Otto Mühl's early drawings and juvenile writings, his high school and
university course notes, and diaries dating from 1942 to 1958. Diaries dating from 1967 to
1997 form part of Series V.
Series III comprises Otto Mühl's correspondence: letters sent between 1964 and 1973 to
promote Actionism; various correspondence dating between 1960 and 1996; and photocopies of
letters sent from prison between 1991 and 1997. The letters sent to promote Actionism detail
the controversial reception of Mühl's material actions and are rich in detail regarding his
theoretical approach towards Actionism as an art form, and his own artistic goals. The most
sizeable is the original exchange with Günter Brus. Its predominant portion dates from 1968
to 1971, the pivotal time when Mühl transformed the concept of artistic action into
self-expression and founded the first commune in Vienna. Another significant portion of his
correspondence is the collection of transcripts of Mühl's letters to Erika Stocker. "Erika
Briefe" form an intense journal of Viennese Actionism and trace the progression of Mühl's
art from junk sculptures and destruction of canvas to the material action.
Series IV is a collection of legal documents, interspersed with correspondence, relating to
court proceedings against Mühl and other participants of Viennese Actionism, seizure of
films by Kurt Kren, usage of illegal drugs, and the 1972 suicide happening of Hermann
Flasch. Most documents are photocopies, but original documents are also present. Extensively
documented are legal proceedings following the action
Kunst und Revolution,
performed in 1968 at the University of Vienna.
Series V consists of Mühl's handwritten or typed drafts of scripts for numerous of his
material actions, dating from 1963 to 1971; nineteen diaries dating from 1967 to 1997; and a
wealth of unpublished writings on Actionism and Action Analysis dating from 1960 to 1997 and
proliferating during the 1970s. Also present are drafts for book projects, including the not
realized book "Die wilden 60er" and screenplay "Freud's Träume," and Mühl's autobiography
Weg aus dem Sumpf, published in 1977, as well as drafts for a revision from
1991.
The core of Series VI is more than 1000 negatives and contact sheets the Austrian
photographer Ludwig Hoffenreich took of Mühl's material actions performed between 1963 and
1969, and other actionist events, most of which until now have been unavailable for
research. Also present are approximately 300 negatives of analytical actions taking place at
the Friedrichshof Commune; a few photographs of Mühl with communards; and several
photographic portraits of Mühl, taken by Philippe Dutartre.
Series VII are sketchbooks produced between 1979 and 1997. About 165 sketchbooks are
present, including 110 hardbound volumes dating from 1979 to 1991, and circa fifty-five
small unbound volumes and loose leaf drawings in wrappers, dating from 1991 to 1997. The
sketchbooks also contain theoretical essays about the arts and the creative process,
commentary and analysis of artwork by other artists, and personal and philosophical
reflections on life. Mühl's drawings from the 1990s have a strongly sexualized content.
Series VIII consists of reviews of material actions and experimental film screenings
published in Austrian and German press between 1961 to 1975; several privately issued
publications on Actionism and the Friedrichshof Commune; printed ephemera; and a handful of
books formerly owned by Mühl.
Arrangement
Arranged in eight series:
Series I. Family papers, 1916-1995 (bulk 1942-1960);
Series II. Early
drawings and writings, circa 1930-1958, undated;
Series III.
Correspondence, 1960-1997, undated;
Series IV. Court
documents, 1948-1979, undated;
Series V. Manuscripts, 1960-1997, undated;
Series VI. Photographs
and negatives, 1963-1988, undated;
Series VII. Sketchbooks,
1979-1997, undated;
Series VIII.
Publications, 1921, 1961-1997, undated.
Indexing Terms
Subjects - Names
Kren, Kurt, 1929-1998
Wiener, Oswald
Weiermair, Oswald
Weibel, Peter
Stocker, Erika
Kunzelmann, Dieter
Duhm, Dieter, 1942-
Brus, Günter
Subjects - Corporate Bodies
P.A.P. Kunstagentur (Firm)
Germany. Reichsarbeitsdienst
Friedrichshof (Zurndorf, Austria)
Subjects - Topics
Artists -- Austria -- Correspondence
Performance art -- Austria
Communal living -- Austria
Wiener Aktionismus
Subjects - Places
Burgenland (Austria) -- Social life and customs
Genres and Forms of Material
Picture postcards -- Germany -- 20th century
Photographic postcards -- Austria -- 20th century
Photographic postcards -- Germany -- 20th century
Christmas cards -- Austria -- 20th century
Long-playing records -- Austria -- 20th century
Picture postcards -- Austria -- 20th century
Picture postcards -- Hungary -- 20th century
Drawings -- Austria -- 20th century
Photographs, Original
Color photographs -- Austria -- 20th century
Black-and-white negatives -- Austria -- 20th century
Photographic prints -- Austria -- 20th century
Black-and-white photographs -- Austria -- 20th century
CD-Rs
Contact sheets -- Austria -- 20th century
Sketchbooks -- Austria -- 20th century
Contributors
Dutartre, Philippe ((Photographer))
Mühl, Otto
P.A.P. Kunstagentur
(Firm)
Aktions-Analytische
Organisation
Hoffenreich, Ludwig
Brus, Günter
Duhm, Dieter, 1942-
Weibel, Peter
Weiermair, Oswald
Wiener, Oswald
Stenzel,
Hans-Christof
Kunzelmann, Dieter
Mühl, Wilma
Series I.
Family papers,
1916-1995 (bulk
1942-1960)
1942-1960
Physical Description:
9.17 Linear
Feet
(26 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Series I. contains personal family correspondence dating from the early 1900s until the
early 1990s, a collection of family photographs, and a wealth of various documents and
records, mostly concerning the artist's mother Wilma Mühl.
Arrangement
Arranged by type of material into three subseries: correspondence, photographs, and
documents and records.
Series I.A.
Correspondence,
1916-1994,
undated
Physical Description:
5 Linear
Feet
(12 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The family correspondence includes original letters as well as photocopies of most if
not all of the original letters and postcards present in the archive. The original
correspondence of Otto Mühl's family dates from 1918 to 1995 and includes letters and
postcards exchanged between his parents Otto and Wilma Mühl, parents and sons Edwin
and Otto Mühl, and between the two brothers, but the most extensive is the exchange
between the artist and his mother Wilma. Dating from the mid-1930s and ending in 1991,
Otto Mühl's correspondence with Wilma Mühl testifies to a close bond between mother
and son.
Arrangement
Original letters and photocopies are filed separately and each group is arranged
alphabetically by name of family member. The correspondence of each family member is
divided into letters sent and letters received and each group is further subdivided
chronologically with undated letters filed at the end. The correspondence with
relatives and friends is divided into letters sent and postcards received, both groups
are further arranged alphabetically by name.
Original letters,
1918-1995,
undated
Otto Mühl,
1936-1995,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Otto Mühl's letters from the time before World War II are mostly to his parents.
They are sent from a bording school in Oberschützen in Austria and written
frequently together with his brother Edwin. Between 1943 and 1945 when Otto was
drafted, his letters from the front are initially to both parents, and later
separately to his father Otto and brother Edwin who were also drafted, and to his
mother Wilma. After the war almost all of his letters sent are to his mother, but
a few are to friends mostly identified only by first name. Mühl's letters to this
mother sent from prison between 1991 and 1995 are frequently illustrated with
drawings and paintings. Among the letters received, two are from ÖKIS
(Dokumentationsstelle Östereichische Kriegsgefangene und Internierte in der
Sowjetunin); both are dated 1993. Filed separately are postcards sent by Mühl to
his parents and mother Wilma and to other people between 1937 and 1960.
Family,
1936-1995,
undated
box 1, folder 4-17
Wilma Mühl,
1944-1994,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Letters sent from prison between 1991 and 1995 are frequently illustrated
with drawings and paintings.
box 1, folder 18
Others,
1949-1970,
undated
Scope and Content Note
There is an undated letter from circa 1962 to Friedensreich
Hundertwasser.
Letters received,
1942-1961,
1993
box 2, folder 1-4.1
Various people,
1943-1961,
1993, undated
box 2, folder 5-7
Ottomar F. Tuider,
1942-1948,
undated
box 2, folder 7.1
Tilde Wendelin (also letters to Wilma Mühl),
1942-1953
Scope and Content Note
Envelope with two letters dated 6 November 1946 was opened by the
repository.
Postcards sent,
1937-1960, undated
box 3, folder 1-17
Both parents and Wilma Mühl,
1937-1960,
undated
Edwin Mühl,
1938-1945,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Otto Mühl's brother Edwin who died in World War II dates
from the mid 1930s and ends in 1945 and includes mainly letters sent from the
front to his mother Wilma, father Otto, and brother Otto Mühl, and a few letters
received from various friends.
box 2, folder 8-13
Letters sent,
1943-1945,
undated
box 2, folder 14
Letters received,
1938-1944
Wilma Mühl,
1920-1994,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of Wilma Mühl includes letters to her husband Otto Mühl but
the predominant part is to her son, the artist Otto Mühl. The early exchange of
letters and postcards with her husband is in Hungarian, only occasionally in
German. During the war years all of her letters to her husband Otto Mühl and both
sons are in German. After the war Wilma corresponds in German only. Her
correspondence with her son is extensive and lasts until the early 1990s. Included
is her letter regarding Otto Mühl's action
Kunst und Revolution,
staged in 1968 together with Günter Brus and Oswald Wiener at the University of
Vienna. Also included are a few business letters regarding Wilma Mühl's retirement
payments, and several empty envelopes addressed to her and dating from the 1920s
to the 1930s.
box 4, folder 1-6
Otto Mühl (father),
1921-1944
box 4, folder 7-10
Edwin and Otto Mühl,
1937-1945,
undated
Otto Mühl,
1944-1994,
undated
box 5, folder 18-19
Other people,
1943-1991,
undated
Letters received (various people),
1920-1994,
undated
box 5, folder 20
Envelopes (empty),
1920s-1930s,
undated
Otto Mühl (father),
1918-1944,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The letters and postcards from the artist's father Otto Mühl are predominantly to
Wilma Mühl. The early letters and postcards dating from the 1920s are in
Hungarian, the letters and postcards from the 1930s and those sent from the front
between 1943 and 1944 are in German. His letters received are personal letters
from friends and relatives. A few business letters are also present.
box 6, folder 1-2
Wilma Mühl (in Hungarian),
1920-1928,
undated
box 6, folder 4-9
Family (sent from the front),
1943-1944
Postcards to Wilma Mühl,
1918-1944
box 6, folder 13
Letters received (various people),
1928-1944
Relatives and friends,
1923-1990,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The Mühl family correspondence with relatives and friends dates from 1923 to 1990
and includes letters sent and postcards received. Most letters are addressed to
Wilma Mühl. Also present is an extensive collection of photographic postcards,
Christmas cards and Easter greetings, and other cards received by the Mühl family,
predominantly by Wilma Mühl, dating from 1936 to 1985.
Letters sent,
1923-1990,
undated
box 7, folder 1
Grandmother,
1934-1838
Scope and Content Note
Letters to parents of Otto Mühl.
Klein, Helene,
1935-1990,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Letter from 6 March 1986 includes two color photographs.
box 7, folder 2-5
Letters,
1935-1990,
undated
box 106, folder 1
Color photographs,
undated
box 7, folder 6
Leopold, Maria,
1970-1975,
undated
box 7, folder 9-19
Various people,
1923-1986,
undated
Postcards received,
1936-1985
box 8, folder 2
Mühl, Otto (father),
1938-1945
box 8, folder 14
Other people,
1941,
undated
Photocopies,
1916-1986,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The photocopies are predominantly of correspondence between the artist Otto Mühl
and his mother Wilma, although copies of wartime correspondence with his father and
brother are also present, as well as photocopies of letters by other members of the
Mühl family and friends. A significant portion of the photocopies was originally
bound in three-ring binders, interspersed with photocopies of family photographs and
various illustrated matter. They are filed as found in boxes 9 and 10. A hand-made
album of photocopied correspondence, photographs, and printed matter titled
Historische Korrespondenz der Familie Mühl, erster Teil von 1916 bis
1943
, is filed in box 11.
Otto Mühl,
1943-1986,
undated
Letters formerly in three-ring binders,
1943-1986
box 11, folder 1
Album
Historische Korrespondenz der Familie Mühl, erster Teil
von 1916 bis 1943
,
1916-1943
box 11, folder 2
Postcards to Wilma Mühl,
undated
Mühl family and friends,
1928-1983,
undated
Mühl, Otto (father),
1920-1942
box 11, folder 8-9
Letters to Wilma Mühl (in Hungarian),
1920-1928
box 11, folder 10
Various letters sent and received,
1937-1942
Mühl, Wilma,
1920-1988,
undated
box 12, folder 1-4
Otto Mühl (father),
1920-1944
box 12, folder 5-18
Otto Mühl (son),
1936-1988,
undated
Series I.B.
Photographs,
circa 1900-1993,
undated
Physical Description:
4.08 Linear
Feet
(6 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The family photographs date from the early 1900s to 1993 and include circa 250 loose
photographs and four bound albums, including one in original prewar binding and three
cloth bound albums titled "Sammlung Vilma Mühl Die Eltern", "Sammlung Vilma Mühl
Kriegszeit" and "Sammlung Vilma Mühl Edwin & Otto". The loose photographs include
a collection labelled as "Fotoarchiv Vilma & Otto" of circa 150 loose photographs
from before World War II, and photographs dating from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s,
presumably compiled by Otto Mühl. Eleven photographic portraits of Mühl from the time
of his involvement at the Friedrichshof Commune are filed with Series VI.B.
Arrangement
Arranged in three groups: bound albums; the collection "Fotoarchiv Vilma & Otto,"
arranged in approximate chronological order; and various loose photographs. The loose
photographs are not arranged in any particular order.
Bound abums,
1920s-1960s
Scope and Content Note
The albums mainly document the life of Otto Mühl's family in Gols during the 1920s
and 1940s. There are juvenile photographs of Otto and his brother Edwin, grade
school classroom pictures, photographs taken at a Hitler Youth camp, a Nazi event in
Fürstenfeld in early 1940s, and of Otto Mühl at an RAD camp (Reichsarbeitsdienst) in
Ölmütz. The postwar photographs date from 1946 to the mid 1960s and include
photographs from Otto Mühl's time in high school, his wedding pictures, photographs
from a vacation in Italy with wife Friedl, and photographs of Mühl with his young
son David. A few color photographs are present.
box 17
Original prewar album,
1920s-1940s
Three albums (compiled postwar),
1920s-1960s
box 18
"Sammlung Vilma Mühl Edwin & Otto"; "Sammlung Vilma Mühl
Kriegszeit"
box 18A
"Sammlung Vilma Mühl Die Eltern"
"Fotoarchiv Vilma & Otto",
circa 1900-1993,
undated
Scope and Content Note
The "Fotoarchiv Vilma & Otto" is a collection of circa 150 loose prewar
photographs and photographs dating from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, presumably
compiled by Otto Mühl. The prewar photographs date from the early 1900s, but most
are from the 1920s and 1930s. Included are photographs of Otto Mühl's grandparents
and parents, Otto Mühl and his brother Edwin as children, Otto and Edwin with their
parents, Otto in grade school in Gols, various relatives, and unidentified people.
There are several classroom photographs from the 1930s of students of the artist's
father, Otto Mühl, who was a teacher at the grade school in Gols. Most of the prewar
photographs are vintage prints, but some are later enlargements. The postwar
photographs are predominantly of the artist's mother Wilma Mühl in old age at her
house in Gols, often shown together with her son Otto and Otto's adolescent
children. Several photographs are of the interior furnishings at her house in Gols.
Many of these photographs bear the stamp of Philippe Dutartre. A few are color
portraits of Wilma. There is also a 1969 photo of Otto Mühl with wife Friedl and son
David, and a few photos of David as a baby. The collection is rehoused with labels
from previous enclosures preserved.
box 19, folder 1-22
Prewar photographs,
circa
1900-1930s
box 19, folder 23-26
Prewar photographs (enlargements),
undated
Postwar photographs,
1968-1993,
undated
box 20, folder 1-4
Son David as a young child,
1968-1969
box 20, folder 5
House of Wilma Mühl in Gols,
1986
Wilma Mühl with Otto Mühl,
1970s-1993
box 20, folder 6-15
Black-and-white photographs,
1970s-1990
box 21, folder 1-7
Black-and-white photographs continued,
1984-1986
box 106, folder 2-3
Color photographs,
1980-1993
Various loose photographs,
1919-1980,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Circa 100 loose photographs dating from the early 1900s to the mid-1960s of Otto
Mühl's parents and relatives, unidentified women and children, several photographs
of Wilma Mühl as a young woman, Otto Mühl as juvenile, his military service in World
War II, portraits of friends from the military and the university in Vienna, and
vacations with wife Friedl in Italy. Also present are several color photographs from
the 1970s of small children, a wedding picture dated 7.12.74, and a 1980 color
portrait of Otto Mühl's son David.
Black-and-white photographs,
1919-1960s,
undated
box 108*
Oversize
Scope and Content Note
Included are eight photographs, one sheet of handwritten musical notes found
with the photographs, and the original portfolio.
box 106, folder 4
Color photographs,
1974-1980,
undated
Series I.C.
Documents and records,
1911-1995,
undated
Physical Description:
2.92 Linear
Feet
(7 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The Mühl family documents and records comprise items concerning Wilma and her husband
Otto Mühl, and their sons Edwin and Otto Mühl. The most extensive portions concern
Wilma Mühl and the artist Otto Mühl and include birth certificates, including Otto
Mühl's Aryan certificate, passports, various ID cards, detailed financial records such
as bank statements, Wilma Mühl's retirement records, utility bills, rent receipts,
welfare stamps dating from the time of World War II until 1957, and a wealth of
receipts and various printed matter. Also present are Edwin and Otto Mühl's high
school report cards, Otto Mühl's university records, and numerous address books of
Otto Mühl, some dating from the time before the war. Documents not associated with a
specific person include a collection of obituaries of the Mühl family's friends and
relatives, dating from the 1920s to the 1980s, blank postcards and a collection of
postal stamps.
Arrangement
Divided into two groups, the first comprised of documents associated with a specific
member of the Mühl family and arranged alphabetically, and the second comprised of
documents not associated with a specific person and arranged alphabetically by type of
material. A few items associated with other people are filed at the end of the first
group.
By family member,
1916-1995,
undated
box 22, folder 1-2
Mühl family,
1930-1961,
undated
box 22, folder 3
Edwin Mühl,
1938-1943,
undated
box 22, folder 4-5
Otto Mühl (father),
1916-1944
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Deutsches Volksblatt from 29 December 1942 was opened by
repository.
Otto Mühl,
1932-1982,
undated
box 22, folder 6
Passports, certificates,
1942-1982
box 22, folder 7
University ID cards,
1946-1951,
undated
box 22, folder 8
Various other ID cards,
1946-1973,
undated
box 22, folder 9
Bank savings books,
1940-1955,
undated
box 22, folder 10
Business receipts,
1970-1971
box 22, folder 11
School report cards,
1937-1946
box 22, folder 12
University certificates,
1947-1950
box 22, folder 13
Teching certificates, job application,
1950-1964,
undated
box 22, folder 14
Tutoring notes (math),
1968-1970
box 23, folder 1-2
Various certificates/curriculum vitae,
1932-1965
box 23, folder 10
Travel to US/notes and addresses,
undated
box 23, folder 11-12
Welfare stamps,
1943-1949,
undated
box 23, folder 13-14
Notes and note books,
undated
Wilma Mühl,
1911-1995,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Wilma Mühl's retirement records, utility bills, rent receipts, welfare stamps
dating from the time of World War II until 1957, and a wealth of receipts and
various printed matter. Also included is the floorplan of her house in Gols.
box 24-27
Various records,
1911-1995,
undated
box 107*, folder 1
Floor plan of Wilma Mühl's house in Gols,
1947
Various documents,
circa 1920s-circa
1980s, undated
box 28, folder 1-7
Obituaries,
1920s-1980s,
undated
box 28, folder 8-12
Postcards,
circa
1920s-1980s
box 28, folder 13-14
Postal stamps,
circa 1920s-circa
1980s
box 28, folder 15-19
Various printed matter,
undated
Series II.
Early drawings and writings,
circa 1930-1958,
undated
Physical Description:
1.67 Linear
Feet
(4 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
This series includes Otto Mühl's highschool notes, juvenile writings, drawings from the
time of World War II and the postwar years, and diaries.
Arrangement
Arranged by type of material into three subseries: drawings, writings, and diaries. The
writings are further subdivided into poetry, prose, theater plays, and notes. Original
diaries and photocopies of transcripts are listed separately and in chronological
order.
Series II.A.
Drawings,
undated
Physical Description:
6
folders
Scope and Content Note
Otto Mühl's drawings include a bound sketchbook and numerous loose-leaf pencil
sketches which are frequently executed on both sides of the sheet.
Series II.B.
Writings,
circa 1930-1948,
undated
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear
Feet
(2 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The writings are drafts, typed as well as handwritten, of poems, prose, and theatre
plays. Present is a complete draft of the novel "Das Medusenantlitz." Also included
are course notes. There is a high school notebook from the 1930s and loose-leaf high
school notes from 1945 and 1946. Several notebooks contain course notes from 1948 when
Mühl was taking classes in literature, history, and psychology at the University of
Vienna.
box 13, folder 9
"In Memoriam Theophil Kratschky"
box 13, folder 14
"Wie der Stinkovitz Josef fünf Liter Wein gewann"
box 13, folder 19-21
"Elisa's Geburtstag,"
1948,
undated
box 13, folder 26
Unidentified plays,
undated
box 14, folder 6-8
High school notes,
circa
1930s-1946
University notes,
1948, undated
box 14, folder 15-19
Literature,
1948,
undated
box 14, folder 22
Notes for high school reunion,
1948
box 14, folder 23
Notes for autobiography and list of diaries,
undated
Series II.C.
Diaries,
1942-1958,
undated
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear
Feet
(2 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Included are eleven original diaries, handwritten and bound, dating from 1942 to
1958; and a collection of bound photocopies of typed transcripts from various diaries,
put together by the artist. The diary from 1943 details Otto Mühl's stay at an RAD
(Reichsarbeitsdienst) camp in Gattendorf and is illustrated with photocopies of
photographs and drawings made at the camp. The diary from 1953 to 1958 is richly
illustrated with photocopies of Otto Mühl's drawings.
box 14, folder 25
Tagebuch Nr. 1,
1942-1943
box 15, folder 1
Tagebuch Nr. 2,
1943-1944
box 15, folder 2
RAD Reichsarbeitsdienst in Gattendorf
21.5.-11.8.1943
,
1943
box 15, folder 3
Otto Muel Tagebuch 20.12.44 bis 28.2.46,
1944-1946
box 15, folder 4
Tagebuch V. 10.3.1946 bis 25.8.1946,
1946
box 15, folder 5
Tagebuch VI. Mühl Otto,
1946-1947
box 15, folder 6
VII 21.3. 47-25.8.47,
1947
box 15, folder 7
Tagebuch 28.8.47-20.6.49 Otto,
1947-1949
box 15, folder 8
[
IX]
Tell Arbeitsbuch für Mühl Otto,
21.6.49-3.6.53
,
1949-1953
box 15, folder 9
[untitled],
1949-1953
Scope and Content Note
Photocopy of typed transcript.
box 15, folder 10
[untitled],
1949-1953
Scope and Content Note
Photocopy of manuscript.
box 15, folder 11
Tagebuch 1953/58,
1953-1958
Scope and Content Note
Illustrated.
Original diaries,
1942-1958
Series III.
Correspondence,
1960-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
2.09 Linear
Feet
(5 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The correspondence series consists of three subseries: letters by Otto Mühl concerning
the promotion of his material actions and Actionism and dating between 1964 and 1973;
various correspondence of Mühl and other people dating between 1960 and 1996; and
letters Mühl wrote when serving his prison sentence. The first two subseries contain
original letters, mostly typescripts, as well as photocopies; all of the letters from
prison are photocopies. Correspondence concerning conflicts with the law resulting from
the controversial reception of Actionism is filed together with legal documents in
Series IV. Court documents. Series V. Manuscripts also includes letters by Otto Mühl
interspersed with his writings.
Arrangement
The first and second subseries are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent,
beginning with letters sent to people identified by first name only. Correspondence with
unidentified people is filed at the end. The third subseries is arranged chronologically
by year and month, with undated letters filed at the end.
Series III.A.
Actionism: letters sent,
1964-1973,
undated
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear
Feet
(2 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The letters, sent between 1964 and 1973, detail the controversial reception of Mühl's
material actions when he was searching for venues in which to perform the actions and
show films, and trying to find art dealers, publishers, and collectors interested in
promoting his art. Mühl writes frequently about Actionism as an art form and his own
artistic goals. Letters to Fritz [?], Solveigh [?], Henryk M. Broder, Peter Gorsen,
and Jens Jörgen Thorsen are especially rich in descriptions of specific actions and
statements about Actionism. Letters sent in 1968 are often on the letterhead of the
Vienna Institute for Direct Art. Among Mühl's correspondents are participants of the
actions, invited guests, television producers, editors of art magazines, dealers,
critics, and artists. There are letters to the artists Valdis Abolins, Al Hansen,
Gustav Metzger, Jens Jörgen Thorsen, and Konrad Balden Schäuffelen; the collectors
Heinz Beck, Kurt Fried, and Hanns Sohm; the art historians Udo Kultermann and Peter
Weiermair; the art dealers Haro Lauhus and Horst Nibbe in Cologne, Jes Petersen in
Berlin, the art dealer and collector Carl Laszlo (Károly László) in Basel, and the
Austrian writer Alfred Kolleritsch. Also included are Mühl's letters to Austrian
military authorities regarding Malte Olschewski, an Austrian journalist who in 1968
participated in the action
Kunst und Revolution. Most of Mühl's
correspondents are in Germany. His letters are predominantly carbon copies, but a few
photocopies of handwritten letters are also present.
Arrangement
This subseries was originally organized chronologically by year with letters to the
same person frequently filed in various folders. It was rearranged alphabetically by
name of correspondent in order to keep letters to each person in one folder. A letter
sent to an unidentified correspondent is filed at the end.
box 29, folder 10
Akademie der Künste, Berlin,
1964
box 29, folder 11
Aktuelle Dienst (ORF),
1968
box 29, folder 12
Baier, Hans Alexander (
Kunst),
1965-1966
box 29, folder 14
Becker, Jürgen (Rowohlt Verlag),
1964
box 29, folder 18
Castillejo, José Luis,
1968
box 29, folder 20
Dunkel, Ole (ASTA der SHFBK),
1970
box 29, folder 23
Ehlers, D. (Südwestfunk, Baden-Baden),
1969
box 29, folder 24
Fried, Kurt (Ulmer Studio F),
1965-1968
box 29, folder 26
Galerie Dahlen, Darmstadt,
1968
box 29, folder 27
Galerie Grossbach, Frankfurt am Main,
1970-1971
box 29, folder 28
Galerie Hartmann, Munich,
1968
box 29, folder 29
Galerie Thelen, Essen,
1968
box 29, folder 30
Galerie Tobies & Silex, Cologne,
undated
box 29, folder 31
Galerie van de Loo, Munich,
1968
box 29, folder 34
Hamburger Filmschau,
1969
box 29, folder 38
Hörner, [?] (Der Consultant, Zurich),
1971
box 29, folder 41
Jäggli, Rudolf,
1970-1971
box 29, folder 43
Kochenrath, Jutta,
1969-1970
box 29, folder 44
Kolleritsch, Alfred,
1964-1966
box 29, folder 46
Kultermann, Udo,
1964-1965,
undated
box 30, folder 1
Most, Mica,
1971,
undated
box 30, folder 2
Neumann, Michael (
Westermanns Monatshefte),
1969
box 30, folder 5
Olschewski, Malte,
1968
Scope and Content Note
Mühl's letters to Austrian military authorities regarding Malte Olschewski.
box 30, folder 9
Plopp Versand, Bremen,
1971
box 30, folder 11
Raubach, Dieter Rudolf (Galerie Edition Press, St. Gallen),
1966
box 30, folder 12
Roth, Karl Heinz,
1964-1967
box 30, folder 13
Rumler, Fritz (
Der Spiegel),
1969
box 30, folder 14
Schäuffelen, Konrad Balder,
1965-1967
box 30, folder 17
Schilling, Alfons,
1967-1973
box 30, folder 21
Schröder, Jörg (Josef Melzer Verlag),
1968
box 30, folder 22
Schulz, Werner (Independent Filmcenter, Munich),
1968
box 30, folder 27
Der Spiegel, Hamburg,
1965
box 30, folder 28
Stumpfl, Herbert,
undated
box 30, folder 29
Thorsen, Jens Jörgen,
1968
box 30, folder 30
Tschakos, Patsy,
1971-1973
box 30, folder 33
Wide White Space Gallery, Antwerp,
1968
box 30, folder 34
Wiest, Rolf & Georgia,
1969
Series III.B.
Various correspondence,
1960-1996,
undated
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear
Feet
(2 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Otto Mühl's most extensive correspondence is with Günter Brus. Dating from 1968 to
1983, with the predominant portion dating from 1969 to 1971, the exchange with Brus
reflects the pivotal time when Mühl transformed the concept of the material action as
a work of art into analytical action defined as self-expression, and founded the first
commune in Vienna. The concept and goals of the Aktionsanalytische Organisation
(Actions Analytical Organisation) or in short AAO, is also the topic of his 1979
exchange with the German sociologist, psychoanalyst, art historian and author Dieter
Duhm. Actionism, action analysis, and Mühl's personal life are the topic of his
correspondence with the Austrian author, language scientist and cybernetics
specialist, Oswald Wiener, who in 1968 participated in the action
Kunst und
Revolution
. Among Mühl's correspondents are the German left-wing activist
Dieter Kunzelmann, the Austrian artist and curator Peter Weibel, and the German art
historian Peter Weiermair.
Filed with this subseries are three bound volumes of Mühl's letters from the 1960s to
his friend Erika Stocker, issued privately in 1988 in limited editions of 15 and 20
numbered copies and titled
Erika Briefe. The volumes consist of
photocopies of typed transcripts of Mühl's letters to Erika, and drawings. The letters
form an intense journal of Viennese Actionism and of the progression of Mühl's work
from junk sculpture and the destruction of canvas to the material action.
Of particular interest is an undated letter addresed to Doris (Doris Berman?) in
which Mühl writes extensively about his relationship with his parents, especially with
his mother Wilma. A 1971 letter from Wilma Mühl to Otto Mühl regarding her reaction to
Mühl's lifestyle and political views was found and is filed with this portion of his
correspondence. Also filed with this subseries, separately from family correspondence,
is the exchange between Otto Mühl and his first wife Friedl Neiss.
Also present are letters received by the artist Otmar Bauer from Georg Kreisler at
Archiv Sohm and Peter Nemetschek at Aktionsraum 1 in Munich; correspondence of the
German photographer Volker von Borries with Eva [?]; correspondence of the Swedish
sociologist Joachim Israel with Otto Mühl, and two others; and a letter from the South
Korean painter Park Seo-Bo to the co-founder of Viennese Actionism, Adolf Frohner.
Mühl's letter to an unidentified person is filed at the end.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.
box 30, folder 39
Fronns,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Mühl.
box 30, folder 40
Henny,
1966,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Letters from Mühl.
box 30, folder 41
Karl Heinz,
1972
Scope and Content Note
Letters from Mühl.
box 30, folder 42
Kurt [?] (Othmar Baller),
1985
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 30, folder 43
Ute,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Mühl.
box 30, folder 44
Willi,
1985-1986
Scope and Content Note
Letters from Mühl.
box 30, folder 45
Aktions-Analytische Organisation,
1977
Scope and Content Note
Two empty envelopes.
box 30, folder 46
Allman, K.,
1992
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 30, folder 47
Bauer, Otmar,
1969-1970
Scope and Content Note
Letters to Bauer from Georg Kreisler, Archiv Sohm, and Peter Nemetschek at
Aktionsraum 1 in Munich.
box 30, folder 48
Beck, Julian,
1967
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Mühl.
box 30, folder 49
Berman, Doris [?],
undated
Scope and Content Note
An undated letter from Mühl addressed to Doris (Doris Berman?) in which Mühl writes
extensively about his relationship with his parents, especially with his mother
Wilma.
box 31, folder 1
Borries, Volker von,
1978,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Von Borries's correspondnece with Eva [?].
box 31, folder 2-7
Brus, Günter,
1968-1983,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with Otto Mühl.
box 31, folder 8
Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Austria,
1962
Scope and Content Note
Letters to Adolf Frohner.
box 31, folder 9
Diaz-Bertrada, Carlos,
1992
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 31, folder 10
Doll, Elke,
1971-1974
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl and documents regarding Doll.
box 31, folder 11
Duhm, Dieter,
1979
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with Mühl.
box 31, folder 12
Eggenkamp, Henno (The Wet Dream Film Festival),
1970
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 31, folder 13
Ewert, Bernd R.,
1972
Scope and Content Note
Letters from Mühl.
box 31, folder 14
Fogel, [?],
1971
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Mühl.
box 31, folder 15
Israel, Joachim,
1978-1979
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence of the Swedish sociologist with Bernd, Terese, and Mühl.
box 31, folder 16
Justizanstalt Stein, Anstaltsleitung,
1996
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Mühl.
box 31, folder 17
Kunzelmann, Dieter,
1971
Scope and Content Note
Letter from Mühl.
box 31, folder 18
Lippert, Werner,
1967, undated
Scope and Content Note
Mühl's letter to Lippert and photocopies of notes and legal documents.
box 31, folder 19-25
Mühl, Friedl,
1964-1988
Scope and Content Note
Exchange between Otto Mühl and his first wife Friedl Neiss, dating from 1964 to
1968; Otto's witty letter to Friedl on a beer mat; photocopies of letters exchanged
in 1973; and three postcards sent by Friedl to Otto in 1988 from Greece. The 1968
exchange concerns the couple's personal relationship, separation, and divorce.
box 32, folder 1
Mühl, Wilma,
1971
Scope and Content Note
Letter from the artist's mother Wilma Mühl to Otto Mühl regarding her reaction to
Mühl's lifestyle and political views.
box 32, folder 2
Park, Seo-Bo,
1961
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Adolf Frohner.
Stocker, Erika,
1960-1985,
undated
box 32, folder 14
Walter, Helmut,
1962
Scope and Content Note
Circular letter regarding class reunion.
box 32, folder 15
Weibel, Peter,
1966
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 32, folder 16
Weiermair, Peter,
1965
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 32, folder 17
Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Cologne,
1969
Scope and Content Note
Payment receipt.
box 32, folder 18
Weyer, Brigitte (Asta der SHFBK Braunschweig),
1969
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 32, folder 19
Wiener, Oswald,
1966-1971,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with Mühl.
box 32, folder 20
Wiest, Rolf,
1969
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 32, folder 21
Wörlen, Hanns Egon,
1967
Scope and Content Note
Letter to Mühl.
box 32, folder 22-23
Unidentified correspondents,
1966, undated
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with Mühl.
Series III.C.
Letters from prison,
1991-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
0.42 Linear
Feet
(1 box)
Scope and Content Note
While serving his prison sentence Otto Mühl wrote numerous letters to addressees
identified predominantly only by their first name. Most letters are to Francesco,
Isabelle Cart, Katharina, Klaus, Margrit, Vincent Hörlein, and Violaine. Among others
are Atti, Claus Grabenhorst, Daniele, Dieter Duhm, Eva, Flo, Friedl, Gerda, Gitta,
Gretl, Harald, Helga Sophia Goetze, Herbert Anlehla, Herrmann, Hubert, the German art
historian and curator Kasper König, Lisl, Martin, Michael Müller, Norbert, Petra
Luckey, Regina Wyrwoll, Rudolf, Sylvie Arland,Terese, Tore Håkansson, Ulrike
Hager-Sherman, Vroni Gromek, and Yvon. The letters present in the archive are dated
between November 1991 and June 1997, but the majority was written between January 1992
and January 1993. Only a few letters from 1994 to 1997 are present. The letters are
richly illustrated with drawings, some letters are cartoon-style drawings with text.
Arranged in chronological order by year and month, the letters chronicle Mühl's time
in prison on an almost daily basis. All letters are photocopies. Otto Mühl's original
letters sent from prison to his mother Wilma Mühl are filed with Series I.A.
Correspondence in box 1, folders 14-16.
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order by year and month. Undated letters are filed at the
end.
Series IV.
Court documents,
1948-1979,
undated
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear
Feet
(2 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
This series includes legal documents and correspondence relating to court proceedings
against Mühl and other participants of Viennese Actionism, seizure of films by Kurt
Kren, usage of illegal drugs, and the suicide happening of Hermann Flasch. Most
documents are photocopies, but original documents and manuscripts are also present.
Extensively documented are legal proceedings against Günter Brus, Otto Mühl, and Oswald
Wiener in connection with their involvement in the action
Kunst und
Revolution
performed in 1968 at the University of Vienna. This file includes
photocopies of circa 180 flyers with a petition to the Austrian government in defense of
Brus, with hundreds of signatures. Also extensive are documents concerning the action
O Tannenbaum performed on 16 December 1969 in Braunschweig, and the
seizure of films produced by Karlheinz Hein's agency Progressive Art Production. A few
documents unrelated to Actionism are filed at the end.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, except for the last three folders which contain
documents unrelated to Actionism.
box 34, folder 1
Totalaktion and
Vietnamparty,
1966-1967
box 34, folder 2
Fest des psycho-physischen Naturalismus,
1965-1969
box 34, folder 3
Direkt Art Festival Porrhaus,
1967
box 34, folder 4-23
Kunst und Revolution,
1968-1974,
undated
box 35, folder 1
Seizure of films by Kurt Kren,
1968
box 35, folder 2
Kirchheim-Teck-Aktion,
1968-1969
box 35, folder 3-5
O Tannenbaum Braunschweig,
1969-1975
box 35, folder 6-7
Kohlkunstverlag,
Mama & Papa,
1969-1970
box 35, folder 9
Suicide of Hermann Flasch,
1974
box 35, folder 10
Seizure of films
California boys-California Supermen,
Sodoma,
Der geile Wotan,
1974
box 35, folder 11-17
Seizure of films by Karlheinz Hein's agency Progressive Art
Production,
1973-1979
box 35, folder 18
VIDA Graphic invoices,
1970 January 26-1971
January 2
box 35, folder 19
Document concerning Micaela Grashof,
1948
box 35, folder 20
Empty folder inscribed,
undated
box 37, folder 6-7
Series V.
Manuscripts,
1960-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
7.09 Linear
Feet
(17 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The material in this series dates from 1960 to 1997 and includes Otto Mühl's
handwritten and typed scripts for actions, a wealth of his unpublished writings, and
diaries. The most extensive portion comprise unpublished texts on Actionism and Action
Analysis, most of which date from the 1970s.
Arrangement
The manuscripts are grouped by type into three subseries and within each subseries are
arranged chronologically by year, with the exception of a few writings on Actionism by
others which are filed alphabetically. Undated material is filed at the end of each
subseries.
Series V.A.
Scripts for material actions,
1963-1971,
undated
Physical Description:
0.42 Linear
Feet
(1 box)
Scope and Content Note
Included are approximately thirty scripts for various actions, predominantly
photocopies of typescripts, but a few original handwritten scripts and carbon copies
of typescripts are also present. Included are four bound volumes of photocopies of
typed and handwritten scripts for actions performed between 1964 and 1966, including
the action
Leda und der Schwan. Filed at the end is a photocopy of a
script for an unidentified action, dedicated by Mühl to Gerhard Zacharias; and carbon
copy of a list of 12 films called Materialaktionsfilme, produced by Otto Mühl between
1966 and 1969.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year of action.
box 36, folder 2
Klarsichtpackung, Gesässpanierung, Aktion Nr. 3,
1964
box 36, folder 3
Leda und der Schwan,
1964
box 36, folder 4
Materialspiele,
Die Beschmutzung eines
Stillebens
,
Musik für 10 Luftballone...,
1964
box 36, folder 5
"Materialaktionen" (various),
1964
box 36, folder 6
"Materialaktionen" (various),
1964-1965
box 36, folder 7
"Aktion VI 64/65/66 November Dezember,"
1964-1966
box 36, folder 8
"Materialactionen Otto Muell,"
1964
Scope and Content Note
Original manuscript by Mühl.
box 36, folder 9
"Materialactionen Otto Muell,"
1964
Scope and Content Note
Carbon copy, bound.
box 36, folder 11
Actionsconcert für Al Hansen,
1966
box 36, folder 12
Direct Art Happening,
Student Ohnesorg,
1967
Scope and Content Note
Original manuscript and typescript.
box 36, folder 14-15
Manopsychotische Aktion,
1970
Scope and Content Note
Original manuscript, and typescript.
box 36, folder 16
Blow Up,
1970
Scope and Content Note
Includes original manuscript with drawings.
box 36, folder 18
Die Hornissen kommen,
1971
Scope and Content Note
Carbon copy.
box 36, folder 19
Aktion blood cloud,
1971
Scope and Content Note
Original typescript with drawings.
box 36, folder 20
Concept for an action,
1971
Scope and Content Note
Original manuscript.
box 36, folder 21
Reiter Jodler,
1971
Scope and Content Note
Includes original manuscript.
box 36, folder 22
"2 Kopien Zacharias Heft,"
undated
Scope and Content Note
Photocopy of script for an unidentified action, with Mühl's dedication to Gerhard
Zacharias.
box 36, folder 23
List of films,
1969?
Scope and Content Note
Carbon copy.
Series V.B.
Various writings,
1960-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
5.42 Linear
Feet
(13 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The writings are original typescripts, carbon copies, or are handwritten. The 1960s
topics concern Actionism, Zock, Mühl's collaboration with Günter Brus, and projects
for movies, including a never realized project called "Filmproject Ludwig XIV". A few
writings are descriptions of dreams. The early 1970s topics reflect the transition
from the concept of the Materialaktion (material action) where the human body is the
scene of action to Aktionsanalyse (action analysis), Mühl's concept of life as art,
and the founding of his first commune in the Praterstrasse in Vienna in 1970, and in
1973 the founding of the Friedrichshof commune in Zurndorf in Burgenland. Besides the
concept of action analysis, Mühl's writings during the 1970s concern a range of topics
from the role of the artist in the commune to criticism of state authority and
revolution, world peace, psychoanalysis, homosexuality, sex, gender relations and
traditional marriage, life in a commune as an alternative model for society, and
communal raising of children. Several writings from the late 1970s reflect
retrospectively on 1960s Actionism.
Interspersed with this series are Mühl's letters to Günter Brus, Karl-Heinz Hein,
Werner Lippert, Carsten Petersen, Harold Tracy, the Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky,
and several others. Occasionally, the letters are addressed to a reciepient identified
only by the first name or to a group of people addressed as Filmemacherfreude (fellow
moviemakers). The letters are original typescripts or carbon copies.
Present are thirteen undated drafts for a book project "Die wilden 60er", mostly
revised typescripts and photocopies of typescripts, but also a bound manuscript
illustrated with drawings. Also present are drafts for the screen play "Freud's
Träume" dated between 1992 and 1994; an undated draft of Mühl's autobiography
Weg aus dem Sumpf from 1977; two drafts from 1991 titled "Weg aus dem
Sumpf" and "Zurück in den Sumpf"; transcripts of two interviews with Mühl; and a few
writings on Actionism by others, including Romilla Doll, Helmut Herbst, René
Schweizer, Ed Sommer, Herbert Stumpfl, and René Zind.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year. The original filing order of writings from 1975,
1976, and 1977 by year and month is preserved. Undated writings and undated notes are
filed at the end. Writings by others are arranged alphabetically by author's name. The
drafts of Mühl's book project "Die wilden 60er" are filed as found.
box 37, folder 2
"Träume"
Scope and Content Note
Photocopy of original in Box 37, folder 1.
box 37, folder 3
"Träume"
Scope and Content Note
Transcript of original in Box 37, folder 1.
box 37, folder 4
"Implosion über 21 Runden,"
1962 or
1963
box 37, folder 5
"Lebenslauf,"
1964 or
1965
box 37, folder 6-8
"Gespräche Mühl-Brus,"
1965
box 37, folder 9
"IDA 67" ("Zock Press 67"),
1967
box 37, folder 12
Notebook "68/69 XVIII,"
1968-1969
box 37, folder 13
Notebook "Aktion bis 1969"
box 37, folder 14
"Die Entwicklung der Materialaktion seit 1963-1996"
box 37, folder 16
"Otto über David 10.11.69"
box 37, folder 17
"Die Bedutung der Materialaktion"
box 37, folder 18
Fragment of a letter about Elke and Friedl
box 37, folder 22
"Viennale und die Filme des Wiener Aktionismus"
box 37, folder 23
"Text zu den Materialaktionsfotos"
box 37, folder 27
"Der Staat und seine Verbrechen"
box 37, folder 31
"Die ausführenden Organe des Staatsaparates" and "Gibt es eigentlich
einen Charakter?"
box 38, folder 1
"Über die Arena 70 Kulturscheisze"
box 38, folder 2
"Aktion in Amsterdam 16.5.1971 und in Zürich" and "Der Sinn der
Sache"
box 38, folder 3
"Aktion mit einer schwangeren Frau"
box 38, folder 5
"Brief an Jesus (über Trip)"
box 38, folder 6
"Comune. An alle meine Völker"
box 38, folder 8
"Menschlich - Unmenschlich"
box 38, folder 9
"Tagebuch Mappe 35" and "Tagebuch Mappe 55"
box 38, folder 11
Text written in Bibione, Italy on 22 August 1971
box 38, folder 13
"Trip an der Donau 10.6.71"
box 38, folder 16
"Über die Gruppe (eine erste Form von Struktur)"
box 38, folder 17
"Über Malerei (April) Theaterstück"
box 38, folder 19
"Umsturztribunal Aufruf an die Gefangenen"
box 38, folder 20
"Was einer macht, das ist er"
box 38, folder 21
"Was Kunst macht, ist selbstverständlich krank"
box 38, folder 22
"Wohnung und Kindererziehung"
box 38, folder 40
"Das Ende des Aktionismus"
box 39, folder 3
"Briefe"
Scope and Content Note
Letters to Günter Brus, Fogel, Karl-Heinz Hein, Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, and
Werner Lippert.
box 39, folder 5
"Fragmente" (some from "Nach der Weltrevolution")
box 39, folder 7
Texts and letters from a visit to the United States
Scope and Content Note
Includes a flyer regarding screening of films by Kurt Kren at Millenium in New
York.
box 39, folder 8
"Fragment eines Briefes (Über die Kommune)"
box 39, folder 12
"AA-Kurve" and "Analysebericht Erika"
box 39, folder 15
"Grundsätze der Therapiekommune"
box 39, folder 16
"Das Eigentum in der KFG"
box 39, folder 18
"Aktionsanalytische Gruppenanalyse"
box 39, folder 20
"Über Kinder in der Kommune (Urschl 3 Wochen alt)"
box 39, folder 21
"Ziel der Aktionsanalyse"
box 39, folder 22
"Übers Ficken 16. Juni 73"
box 39, folder 23
"Aktion "Sauberes Österreich"
box 39, folder 25
"Wiener Aktionismus und Materialaktion"
box 39, folder 26
"Therapiekommune Friedrichshof"
box 39, folder 27
"Meine Entwicklung über Aktionismus"
box 39, folder 29
"Manifest der Therapiekommune Friedrichshof"
box 39, folder 30
"Briefe an versch. Leute"
box 39, folder 32
"3. Schriften von Wiener Aktionismus bis Malereiaktion"
box 40, folder 1
"Texte Otto 75"
Scope and Content Note
Front cover of original folder, annotated.
box 40, folder 2
"Bertram Sorbes: Gespräch mit Otto, dem Erfinder der
Materialaktion"
box 40, folder 3
"Apostel Brief an die Berliner"
box 40, folder 4
"Gary Gilmore Werbeeinblendungen für Multi-Service"
box 40, folder 7
"KFM-Geschichte (Jesus, Alexander der Grosse, Cäsar)"
box 40, folder 8
"Mitschrift Manifest der Therapie - Kommune Friedrichshof"
box 40, folder 9
"Mitschrift Otto erzählt einen Traum"
box 40, folder 11
"Zeichnungen Entwürfe für Möbel"
box 40, folder 12
"Existentieller Aktionismus (Kommune-Inviroment)"
box 40, folder 13
"Der Grössenwahnsinn der KFM"
box 40, folder 14
"2 Briefe an Brus (über Aktionismus und den FH)"
box 40, folder 15
"Gründungsprinzipien der AA Kommune" and "Kommunemanifest"
box 40, folder 18
"Kriegserlebnisse" and "Leutnant Kümmer"
box 40, folder 21
"Die Berufsrolle des Künstlers" and "Die Rolle des Künstlers in der KFG
und der Kommunegesellschaft"
box 40, folder 22
"Konzept für den Weltfrieden"
box 40, folder 23
"Über Kunst in AAO (Selbstdarstellung)"
box 40, folder 24
"Geschichte des Wiener Aktionismus"
box 40, folder 26
"Entwurf für eine AA Partei"
box 40, folder 27
"Kriminalität und Verbrechen in der Kleinfamiliegesellschaft"
box 40, folder 29
"Homosexualität" and "KFM Minderwertigkeit"
box 40, folder 30
"Selbstdarstellungvin der AA Kommune"
box 40, folder 31
"Familie Ehe Sexualität in der Kommune"
box 40, folder 32
"Entwurf der Hausordnung AA Grundprinzipien" and two other writings
box 40, folder 33
"Zeittafel Entwicklung der Kommune" and "Entstehung und Entwicklung der
Kommune"
box 40, folder 35
"Verschiedene Schriften (Teil eines Tagebuchs)"
box 40, folder 36
"Entwicklung der Kommune"
box 40, folder 37
"Die Überwindung der Nationalstaaten" and two other writings
box 40, folder 38
"Der revolutionäre Spiesser"
box 40, folder 39
"Die Physiologie des aggressiven Körpers"
box 40, folder 40
"Manuscripte 1. Fassung" (four writings)
box 40, folder 41
"Texte von anderen Leuten" (two writings)
box 40, folder 42
"Beschreibung von Aktionen" and two other writings
box 40, folder 43
"Geschichte des Wiener Aktionismus"
box 40, folder 44
"AA Aktionsanalyse, Körperanalyse, Therapiekommune
Friedrichshof"
box 40, folder 45
"In einem durchgeschrieben"
box 40, folder 46
Fragments of various texts
box 41, folder 1
Cover and index to 1976 writings
Scope and Content Note
Front cover of original folder, annotated; and index to 1976 writings.
box 41, folder 2
"Wiener Aktionismus und Selbstdarstellung"
box 41, folder 4
"Briefe an Minister, Bürgermeister, Kanzler, usw."
box 41, folder 5
"Kunst und Landschaftsmalerei" and two other writings
box 41, folder 6
"Theaterstücke" (six plays)
box 41, folder 7
"Positive Geschichtsbetrachtung"
box 41, folder 8
"Über die 60iger Jahre und über Revolution"
box 41, folder 9
"Entwurf Gutachten Claus Carbach"
box 41, folder 10
"Ein Gespenst geht in der Bundesrepublik um: die AAO"
box 41, folder 11
"O' Tannenbaum 1. und 2. Fassung"
box 41, folder 12
"AA Wehrkonzept (2. Entwürfe)"
box 41, folder 13
"Arena-Bewegung und die AAO"
box 41, folder 14
"Vorwort zu Theorie und Praxis der Aktionsanalyse"
box 41, folder 18
"Direkte Demokratie und Organisationsstruktur"
box 41, folder 19
"AA Kommune Theorie und Praxis der Aktionsanalyse"
box 41, folder 20
"AA Prinzipien..." and two other writings
box 41, folder 22
"Selbstdarstellung" and "Entwicklung der AAO Organisation"
box 41, folder 24
"Geschichtlicher Überblick über die Entwicklung des Staates"
box 41, folder 25
"Die Entwicklung des Staates"
box 41, folder 27
"Gespräch Gonzales-Mühl. Möglichkeiten der gesellschaftlichen
Weiterentwicklung"
box 41, folder 28
"Hasen auf der Parndorfer Heide"
box 41, folder 29
"Das Ende der Kleinfamiliegesellschaft"
box 41, folder 30
"Kosmisches Bewusssein" and "AA Kosmologie"
box 41, folder 31
"Freie Sex" and three other writings
box 42, folder 1
"Unterdrückung der Frau in der KFG"
box 42, folder 2
"Zum Tod der Ulrike Meinhof"
box 42, folder 3
"Disposition des Menschen" and "Vampirismus"
box 42, folder 4
"Homosexualität als Mittel der Befreiung"
box 42, folder 5
"Besprechung von Peter Nischk, Kursbuch für die Seele"
box 42, folder 6
"Zukunftsforschung durch bewusste Lebenspraxis"
box 42, folder 7
"Wilhelm Reich und AA Lebenspraxis" and "Kunst und
Selbstdarstellung"
box 42, folder 9
"Geburtserlebnis, Reise durch die Kindheit" and two other
writings
box 42, folder 10
"Organisation der AAK und ihre Weiterentwicklung"
box 42, folder 11
"Marathon in Genf" and "Rest vom Marathon, Besuch bei einem
Milionär"
box 42, folder 12
"Zurück zur Natur" and two other writings
box 42, folder 13
"MSD (Materialselbstdarstellung)"
box 42, folder 16
"Gründung und Entwicklung der AAO" and "Aufbau der AAO"
box 42, folder 18
"Ziele der AAO, Tagesablauf am Freidrichshof"
box 42, folder 19
"Über einen Artikel von René Zind"
box 42, folder 20
"Entwicklung der AA zur Selbstdarstellung" and "Entwicklung der
SD"
box 42, folder 21
"Biologische Aktionsanalyse"
box 42, folder 22
"Christus und Christentum" and "Vatermord und Christentum"
box 42, folder 23
"Hierarchie und Autorität"
box 42, folder 25
"Kollektiver Ursprung des Theaters"
box 42, folder 26
"Das AA Modell" and "Warum wir so gut sind"
box 42, folder 27
"Kunst und Weltgestaltung"
box 42, folder 28
"Gestaltungskunst wird nicht gebraucht"
box 42, folder 31
"Internationale Probleme aus der Sicht der AA"
box 42, folder 32
"Das zerstörte Bild, oder, Kurt Kalb"
box 42, folder 33-34
"Vorläufiges Manuscript für die Wirklichkeitskunst"
box 42, folder 36
"Kapitalismus - Kommunismus Gefühlsmässig Zweierbeziehung"
box 42, folder 37
"AA Kongress 10.-20. 1. 76"
box 42, folder 38
"Kinderaufwachsen" (nine writings)
box 43, folder 1
"Kritik der AAO" and seven other writings
box 43, folder 3
"Weiterentwicklung der AAO"
box 43, folder 5
"Das Leben wird freundlicher genossen"
box 43, folder 7
"Experimentelle Gesellschaftsgestaltung"
box 43, folder 9
"Lieber Francesco (Brief)"
box 43, folder 12
"Theaterstück Russische Revolution"
box 43, folder 13
"Revolution am Friedrichshof"
box 43, folder 14
"Verwirklichung der freien Sexualität in der AAO"
box 43, folder 16
"Über Organisation der AAO"
box 43, folder 19
"Direkte Demokratie und BAG (Bewusstseinsarbeitsgruppen)"
box 43, folder 20
"Aktionismus Selbstdarstellung. 1. Fassung"
box 43, folder 24
"Brief an die Bewusstseinsverbreiter" and "Interview Kunst"
box 43, folder 26
"Über berühmte Männer der KFG"
box 43, folder 31
"Ein neuer geiler Sozialismus"
box 43, folder 32
"Lebende Computer Documenta 77"
box 43, folder 33
"Der Mensch als biologische Maschine"
box 43, folder 37
"Gesellschaftliche Gestaltung" and three other writings
box 43, folder 38
"Auszug von Max und Benn"
box 43, folder 39
"Zentralismus in der AAO"
box 43, folder 40
"Wird die AAO zur Massenbewegung"
box 43, folder 41
"Was tragen die AAO unter ihren Latzhosen"
box 43, folder 43
"Wie werde ich von allen geliebt?"
box 43, folder 44
"Bewusstseinsrevolution am Friedrichshof"
box 44, folder 1
"Darstellung der Sexualität in der Selbstdarstellung"
box 44, folder 3
"Terrorismus der Frauen" and "Vorwürfe gegen die AAO"
box 44, folder 5
"Vorwort zu Pro und Contra" and "Angstfreie Gesellschaft"
box 44, folder 6
"Weder Links noch Rechts"
box 44, folder 7
"Goethe" and four other writings
box 44, folder 8
"Psychische Gesundheit" and two other writings
box 44, folder 9
"Darstellung der geschädigten Sexualität" and "Über die Sexualität Weg
aus dem Sumpf"
box 44, folder 10
"Theaterstück Russische Revolution" and several other writings
box 44, folder 11
"Noch ist Polen nicht verloren" and several other writings
box 44, folder 14
"Brief an Herbert in Berlin" and two other writings
box 44, folder 15
"Gruppenbrief AA Revolution"
box 44, folder 17
"Ideologische Mitteilungen über Atomkraftwerke"
box 44, folder 19
"Vom Affen bis zur Krawatte" and "AA Kongress Friedrichshof"
box 44, folder 21
"Die Umwälzung des Kleinfamilien-Bewusstseins"
box 44, folder 22
"Internationaler AA Brief" and "Brief an Dieter Duhm"
box 44, folder 23
"Brief an Claudia in Genf"
box 44, folder 25
"Trotzky, der unglückselige Revolutionär"
box 44, folder 26
"Einfache Welt" and "Biologische Energie"
box 44, folder 28
"Gemeinsames Wohnen" and "Nutzkunst"
box 44, folder 29
"Fragwürdige Methoden gegen die AAO" and "Ist die AAO noch zu
stoppen"
box 44, folder 31
"Kinderaufwachsen Seite 9-14"
box 44, folder 32
"Organisation der AAO (Teil eines Artikels)"
box 44, folder 33
Various unidentified writings
box 44, folder 35
"Über Mao" and "Manifest für den Osten"
box 44A, folder 3
"Cafe Pengo" and several other writings
box 44A, folder 5-6
Various unidentified writings
box 44A, folder 7
"TG Otto,"
1979
Scope and Content Note
Inserted is a typescript by Hubert Klockner.
box 44A, folder 8
"Für Archiv von Francesco Conz"
box 44A, folder 9
Various unidentified writings
box 44A, folder 10
"Lili Märchen 15.1.82-29.2.83"
box 44A, folder 11
"Lilis Märchenbuch"
Scope and Content Note
A bound volume with drawings and watercolors titled "Lilis Märchenbuch."
box 44B, folder 1
"Philosophie,"
1985
Scope and Content Note
Issued by EVA-Family-Members in 1985 on the occasion of Otto Mühl's 60th
birthday.
box 44B, folder 2
"Otto Muehl Gespräche mit seiner Mutter"
1985
Scope and Content Note
Bound photocopy of transcript; illustrated with several photographs of the artist
and his mother.
box 44B, folder 3
"Weg aus dem Sumpf 1. Überarbeitung,"
1991
Scope and Content Note
Manuscript draft.
box 44B, folder 4
"Zurück in den Sumpf,"
1991
box 45, folder 1
1992 calendar, annotated,
1992
box 45, folder 3
1994 calendar, annotated,
1994
Scope and Content Note
Annotated.
box 45, folder 4
1995 calendar, annotated,
1995
Scope and Content Note
Annotated with notes and drawings.
box 45, folder 5
1996 calendar, annotated,
1996
Scope and Content Note
Annotated.
box 45, folder 13-17
Drafts of letters and notes
box 45, folder 18
Photocopies of various letters and texts
box 45, folder 19
Photocopies of various texts
undated (decade uncertain)
box 45, folder 20
Unidentified text about the AAO
box 45, folder 21
"Kino"
Scope and Content Note
Notes in a folder titled "Kino."
box 45, folder 23
Various writings on Actionism
box 46, folder 1
Manuscript for
Weg aus dem Sumpf
Scope and Content Note
Various typescripts.
box 47-49
Drafts for "Die wilden 60er"
box 48, folder 7-11
"Die wilden 60er, zweites Buch"
box 49, folder 7
"Die wilden Sechziger" (bound manuscript)
box 49, folder 8-13
Drafts for screen play "Freud's Träume"
Writings by others,
1970-1983,
undated
Series V.C.
Diaries,
1967-1997
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear
Feet
(3 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Included are nineteen diaries written between 1967 and 1997, with most diaries dating
from the 1970s. There are also two annotated calendars from 1994 and 1996. The diaries
are bound, handwritten, and only occasionally illustrated with drawings; a few are
photocopies or transcripts. Series VII. Sketchbooks also includes diaries which are
richly illustrated, mainly those dating from the early 1980s. The diaries from the
late 1980s are prevalently illustrated sketchbooks rather then diaries.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year.
box 50, folder 1
"Tagebuch 1967 Nr.1,"
1967
box 50, folder 3
"68 74 August,"
1968-1974
box 50, folder 8
"Tagebuch (Ordner Ottoschriften 1971, Mappe 8),
1972
Scope and Content Note
Transcript.
box 50, folder 9
"Tagebuch 1972-74,"
1972-1974
box 50, folder 11
"Otto AA 19.6.1974,"
1974
box 51, folder 3
"Tagebuch 77"
Scope and Content Note
Transcript.
box 51, folder 4
"Otto Tagebuch 1977. 20.9.1977. Über Mao"
Scope and Content Note
Transcript.
"Morphologische Unterhaltung,"
1983
Scope and Content Note
Photocopy of typescript, bound.
box 51, folder 6
"Tagebuch,"
1984-1985
Scope and Content Note
Bound transcript of a diary dated between 31 December 1984 and 30 June 1985;
illustrated with photocopies of drawings.
"Otto Mühl 17.6 - 10.7. 91"
Scope and Content Note
Diary in box 52, folder 3 is a photocopy.
box 52, folder 4
"Otto Texte 8.9 - 97,"
1997
Series VI.
Photographs and negatives,
1963-1988,
undated
Physical Description:
2.58 Linear
Feet
(5 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The photographs and negatives are grouped by topic into two subseries: contact sheets
and negatives of material actions staged in the 1960s and other events related to
Actionism, and photographs and negatives of analytical actions and life at the
Friedrichshof Commune in the 1980s. Photographic material in Series VI.B. Friedrichshof
Commune depicting minors has been sealed pending curatorial review.
Arrangement
Each subseries is arranged chronologically with undated material filed at the end.
Series VI.A.
1960s Actionism,
1963-1971,
undated
Physical Description:
2.17 Linear
Feet
(4 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
This subseries is the core of the photographic section of the archive. It is
comprised of more than 1000 negative images and contact sheets the Austrian
photographer Ludwig Hoffenreich took of actions staged and performed by Otto Mühl and
fellow Actionists between 1963 and 1969. Beyond the few published images of these
actions, until now the images have mostly been unavailable for research. Also present
are negatives and contact sheets of three actions staged in 1968 by the German
producer, director, and writer Hans-Christof Stenzel, including
Die Blumen des
Bösen
; group portraits of Günter Brus, Otto Mühl, Hermann Nitsch, and Peter
Weibel; and shots of Hermann Nitsch's release from jail in 1968. Also included are
twelve black-and-white photographs of material actions, a CD with negatives of
photographs by Hoffenreich taken between 1963 and 1971, and a list of negatives
present in the archive.
Arrangement
The contact sheets and negatives of each action or topic are arranged chronologically
by year.
box 53, folder 1
List of negatives,
undated
Material actions,
1963-1969,
undated
Contact sheets and negatives,
1963-1969,
undated
Versumpfung eines weiblichen Körpers Nr. 1
Versumpfung eines weiblichen Körpers Nr. 2
Stillleben mit Pferdekopf
Stilleben mit einem weiblichen Kopf und einem
Schweinekopf
Stillleben mit einem weiblichen Modell und einem
Rinderkopf
Penis in Pappteller und Rose
Kreuzigung eines männlichen Körpers
Penisaktion mit Buch von O. Wiener
Aktion mit einem toten Hasen
Turnstunde in Nahrungsmitteln
Aktionskonzert für Al Hansen
Stillleben mit Finger and
Pressekonferenz
Das Ohr and
Waschschüssel/Hinrichtung
Otto after action
Hinrichtung
Boîte de nuit at nightclub Annagasse,
1968
box 55, folder 26-28
Unidentified actions
Scope and Content Note
Contact sheets and photographs only.
Other topics,
1968, undated
box 55, folder 29
Hermann Nitsch release from jail,
1968
Scope and Content Note
Contact sheets and negatives.
box 55, flatfile 30
Collage by Otto Mühl,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Contact sheets and negatives.
box 55, folder 31
Portraits of Otto Mühl, Erich Fischer, Hermann Nitsch, Peter Weibel,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Contact sheets and negatives.
box 55, folder 32
Group portraits of Günter Brus, Otto Mühl, Hermann Nitsch and
women,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Contact sheets and negatives.
Actions by Hans Christof Stenzel,
1968
Action I (
Die Blumen des Bösen)
box 56, item CD 1
Negatives by Ludwig Hoffenreich,
1963-1971
Scope and Content Note
One computer disc, 4 3/4 in. Inscribed on disc: 102 digital images of L.
Hoffenreich, negatives. In black case with paper label inscribed: 102.
Series VI.B.
Friedrichshof Commune,
1977, 1987-1988,
undated
Physical Description:
0.42 Linear
Feet
(1 box)
Scope and Content Note
This subseries consists of approximately 300 negatives of analytical actions that
took place at the Friedrichshof Commune, and photographs. The photographs include
three contact sheets of Mühl's meeting with the Austrian artist Maria Lassnig and
other people, in 1987; five photographs of Otto Mühl with communards; and eleven
portrait photographs of Mühl. Several photographs bear the stamp of Philippe Dutartre
on the verso.
Some material in Series VI.B. Friedrichshof Commune has been sealed pending
curatorial review.
Arrangement
The negatives are filed chronologically by the date inscribed on the original
envelopes, which are preserved. The photographs and contact sheets are undated and
grouped by topic.
Negatives,
1980,
1987-1988
box 57, folder 2-8
1987
Scope and Content Note
Some material sealed pending curatorial review.
Photographs,
1977, 1987,
undated
box 57, folder 16
Otto Mühl and Maria Lassnig,
1987
Scope and Content Note
One contact sheet has been sealed pending curatorial review.
box 57, folder 17
Otto Mühl and communards,
undated
Photographs of Otto Mühl,
1977, undated
Box 109 [SEALED]
Sealed material from box 57
1977,
1987-1988
Scope and Content Note
Unavailable pending curatorial review.
Series VII.
Sketchbooks,
1979-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
17.51 Linear
Feet
(42 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Present are approximately 165 sketchbooks, including 110 hardbound volumes dating from
1979 to 1991; circa fifty-five small unbound volumes and loose leaf drawings in
wrappers, dating from 1992 to 1997; a 1993 bound volume with drawings; and five
hardbound sketchbooks from 1996 and 1997. The 1979 volumes are scrapbooks with pasted-in
press clippings and occasionally added texts and drawings. The volumes from the early
1980s are predominantly textual, but are also illustrated with drawings and include an
occasional press clipping pasted in. Mühl's texts are theoretical essays about the arts,
primarily painting, but also contemporary music, and the creative process in general, as
well as his commentary and analysis of artwork by other artists. The artists Mühl
frequently writes about are Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Henri
Matisse, and Joseph Beuys. His writings are also personal and philosophical reflections
on life.
The sketchbooks become increasingly illustrated with drawings and less textual towards
the mid 1980s. Most drawings are executed in black ink, but water colors are also
frequently present. Pencil drawings are only occasionally included. The sketchbooks
produced by Mühl when in prison in the first half of the 1990s contain almost
exclusively black ink drawings and only some text. Most of these sketchbooks are loose
leaf drawings enclosed in wrappers. Occasionally included is pasted-in illustrated
matter, clipped from various German language magazines. Four sketchbooks from 1996 and
1997 are titled
Mittersteig and one is titled
Michelangelo; all five are hardbound. The drawings from the 1990s have
strongly sexualized content.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year and listed by title on the front cover. A few other
items with drawings by Mühl are listed at the end.
1979
Scope and Content Note
Nine bound scrapbooks with pasted-in press clippings of articles on various
contemporary artists, current trends in art, art exhibitions, and other mostly
art-related topics. Occasionally added are text and drawings.
box 58
"II. Juli-August October Otto"
box 58
"III. Sept. 79 Otto Tagebuch"
box 58
"IV. Otto Kunst 1979"
Scope and Content Note
Pasted inside the front fly-leaf is a black-and-white photograph of an analytical
action.
box 59
"V. Otto November 1979 Otto"
box 59
"VI. November Dezember 79 Otto"
box 59
"VII. 11. Dezember 79 bis 11 Jänner 80"
box 59
"FH MO Otto"
Scope and Content Note
Included are numerous press clippings and a lengthy note by Mühl on Joseph
Beuys.
1980
Scope and Content Note
Eight bound volumes of writings and drawings, with an occasional press clipping
pasted in.
box 60
"Der andere Stern Geschriebenes 1980 31.3.-31.7"
box 61
"Malerei 17.4-18.7. April-Juli 1980"
box 61
"18. Juli-24.8 1980 Malerei"
box 61
"1980 Literatur 4.8.80-12.9.80"
1981
Scope and Content Note
Eleven bound volumes, including six textual and illustrated and three volumes with
drawings only.
box 62
"Verdichtungen Joe Carner IV. 30.Dez. 1980-25.5.1981 und 20. Sept. 1981 -
18.10. IV. 81."
box 62
"Tagesprotokoll 12.10.80 26.1.81"
box 62
"Tagesprotokoll 12.10.80 26.1.81 Otto"
box 62
"I/81 Protokoll 27.1.81-20.6.81"
box 63
"III. 81 7. August-20.September"
box 64
"Protokoll 81 26.11.-31.12."
box 64
Untitled sketchbook with drawings
box 65
Sketchbook with drawings titled Otto
box 65
"1981 Zeichnungen 1. August"
Scope and Content Note
Most drawings are dated 1983.
1982
Scope and Content Note
Eight bound volumes inscribed "Protokoll" on the front cover and numbered II to 8.
Predominantly textual.
1983
Scope and Content Note
Fifteen bound volumes, including twelve sketchbooks richly illustrated with black ink
drawings and watercolors, and with some text; and three sketchbooks of black ink
drawings and watercolors, without text.
box 71
Untitled volume
Scope and Content Note
Without text. Pasted in are clippings of articles and illustrations of artwork by
several artists, mainly Helmut Middendorf, Rainer Fetting, Salomé, Richard
Bosman,Walter Dahn, and Luciano Castelli.
box 72
Untitled volume
Scope and Content Note
Hand painted binding. Includes water colors only.
1984
Scope and Content Note
Eleven bound volumes, predeminantly of black ink drawings, some text, and occasional
water colors.
box 75
"m 84 19.11.- 11"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted are two photographs, two leaves of notes, and a color chart.
1985
Scope and Content Note
Seventeen bound volumes. Most are painted on the front cover.
box 77
"Otto Muehl"
Scope and Content Note
The drawings are dated 19 and 20 August 1985. No text. Inserted is a 1985
photograph of Wilma Mühl.
1986
Scope and Content Note
Six bound volumes.
box 82
"25.1.86-26.2.86 Otto"
Scope and Content Note
Drawing of Joseph Beuys on front cover.
["6.11.86-25.2.87']
Scope and Content Note
Inserted is a 1986 press clipping from
Die Zeit with an article
about Libya and Gaddafi. The press clipping is shelved in box 107*, folder 4.
1987
Scope and Content Note
Thirteen bound volumes.
box 84
"Gomera 10.1.87"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted are two folded leaves of text and drawings, and a postcard.
box 84
"Otto Gomera [23.-24.4.87"]
"Otto 9.5.87 2.8.87"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted is a letter from Wilma Mühl to Otto Mühl, dated 19 June 1987, a
handwritten note, printed matter, and two press clippings.
box 86
["22.9.87-28.10.87"]
Scope and Content Note
Inserted are two drawings by children.
1988
Scope and Content Note
Three bound volumes.
box 88
"El cubrito 10.2.88 [10.-27.2.88]"
Scope and Content Note
Includes text about material actions and films.
box 88
"El cubrito 10.2.88 [ [12.2.88-2.6.89]"
1989
Scope and Content Note
Two bound volumes.
box 88
"Otto 29.11"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted is a small drawing, two press clippings, and musical notation.
1990
Scope and Content Note
Five bound volumes.
box 89
"Otto 90/1 [7.1.90-25.1.90]"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted are seven leaves of press clippings.
box 89
"Otto 25.1.-15.2. 90"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted is one leaf of notes, facing page dated 3 Ferbruary 1990.
box 89
"Otto 16.2 - [16.2.90-26.2.90]"
box 90
"Otto 1990 13.3-26.1.91 24.10.-"
Scope and Content Note
Inserted is list of phone numbers at the Friedrichshof Commune.
undated
[1991?]
Scope and Content Note
Two bound volumes.
box 93
Untitled bound sketchbook,
May-June
box 94, folder 2-3
1993, 1994,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Various loose leaf sketches. Included are portraits of inmates. Original folder is
preserved.
box 94, folder 4
1993, 1995,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Loose leaf drawings in folder inscribed "Entwürfe Skizzen."
box 94, folder 5
"1994 24. Oktober November"
Scope and Content Note
Loose leaf drawings in a folder inscribed
1994 24. Oktober
November
.
box 94, folder 6
"1.9.94 Tod u. Mädchen"
Scope and Content Note
Loose leaf drawings in a folder. Included is a group of drawings titled
1.9.94 Tod u. Mädchen.
box 94, folder 7
"Men's world" and "Spanische Malerei"
Scope and Content Note
Two groups of loose leaf drawings in folder inscribed "Zeichnungen."
box 94, folder 8
1995
Scope and Content Note
Loose leaf drawings.
box 94, folder 9
1995-1996
Scope and Content Note
Loose leaf drawings.
box 95, folder 1
1996
Scope and Content Note
Notes and loose leaf drawings in wrapper inscribed "Text 96."
1997
Scope and Content Note
The sketchbook in folder 13 is inscribed n front cover
Michelangelo 13 Juli 97
14.8. 97
.
box 97, folder 1-21
1990s
(undated)
Scope and Content Note
[Seven drawings from box 97, folder 21 are in conservation.]
"Mittersteig" sketchbooks,
1996-1997
box 98, folder 1
"1 Mittersteig 27.9.96-8.11.96 Otto"
box 98, folder 2
"2 Mittersteig 7.11- Otto"
box 98, folder 4
"5 Mittersteig Otto 22.1.97-"
box 98, folder 5
"Michelangelo" sketchbook,
1997 September
14
Scope and Content Note
In handmade binding.
box 98, folder 6-9
Various drawings,
1997,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Most drawings are photocopies, but a few pencil and black ink drawings are
included.
Other items,
1981-1997,
undated
box 99, folder 1
Sketchbook with blank pages,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Hardbound sketchbook with blank pages, except for a short note on the first
page.
box 99, folder 2
Guestbook,
1984-1991
Scope and Content Note
Otto Mühl's guestbook; annotated and with drawings.
box 99, folder 3
Exhibition catalog
New spirit in painting,
1981
box 99, folder 4
Book by Peter Handke with drawings by Mühl,
1997
Scope and Content Note
1997 Suhrkamp edition of Peter Handke's novel
In einer dunklen Nacht ging
ich aus meinem stillen Haus
, with several color drawings added by
Mühl.
Series VIII.
Publications,
1921, 1961-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
2.29 Linear
Feet
(6 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The publications series has two subseries: press reviews and publications. The
publications include printed ephemera. Most of the material in the first subseries
documents the reception of Viennese Actionism in Austria and Germany during the 1960s
and the first half of the 1970s. The publications and ephemera relate to Viennese
Actionism and the Friedrichshof Commune. Also present are various other items, such as
other art-related ephemera, and books formerly owned by Mühl.
Arrangement
Both subseries are further divided into groups which are arranged chronologically by
year, except for a small amount of ephemera, a few books, and other printed items in the
second subseries, which are not arranged in any particular order.
Series VIII.A.
Press reviews,
1961-1975
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear
Feet
(2 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
The press reviews are divided into two groups: reviews of exhibitions and material
actions from 1961 to 1975, and reviews and other printed matter concerning screenings
of experimental films from 1966 to 1974. Present are reviews of films by Otto Mühl,
Kurt Kren, Günter Brus, Peter Weibel, Hans Scheugl, and Ernst Schmidt, and reviews of
screenings of other experimental films at the Independent Film Center in Munich, the
Austria Filmmakers Cooperative in Vienna, and the P.A.P. Kunstagentur in Munich. All
press reviews are photocopies.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year.
Exhibitions and material actions,
1961-1975
Series VIII.B.
Publications and ephemera,
1921, 1967-1997,
undated
Physical Description:
1.46 Linear
Feet
(4 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Present are Otto Mühl's publications related to Viennese Actionism and the
Friedrichshof Commune: the booklet
Direct Art Press issued in 1967 by
Otto Mühl and Günter Brus, an LP recording of performances taking place in 1974 and
1975 at the Friedrichshof Commune, and the rare English edition of
Das AA
Modell Band 1
,
The AA Model volume 1 from 1977, among others.
Also included are ephemera related to Viennese Actionism, other art-related ephemera,
and various printed items. Filed at the end are a few books formerly owned by the
artist. Box 105 contains a cardboard box with two pencil drawings, possibly in Otto
Mühl's hand.
Arrangement
Publications and ephemera are divided into five groups and a single item added at the
end. The first two groups consisting of publications and ephemera related to Actionism
and Action Analysis are arranged chronologically by year. The following three groups
are not arranged.
Publications related to Actionism and Action Analysis,
1967-1985
box 102, folder 3
Otto Muehl will Menschen schlachten (
Supervisuel 6,
Sondernummer
),
1970
Scope and Content Note
Original and photocopy.
box 102, folder 4
O Tannenbaum Dokumentation über Otto Muehls Materialaktion in der
SHFBK Braunschweig und deren Folgen
,
1970?
box 102, folder 5
ZOCK Aspekte einer Totalrevolution 66/71,
1971
box 103, item D1
AA Kommune musikalische Selbstdarstellungen
1975
,
1975?
AA Kommune musikalische Selbstdarstellungen 1975: 1975
Scope and Content Note
Sound recording. The recording has been digitized and is available online.
box 102, folder 6
The AA model volume 1,,
1977
Scope and Content Note
First edition in English of
Das AA Modell Band 1.
box 107*, folder 7
Wiener Aktionismus,
May
1981?
Scope and Content Note
Special issue (May 1981?) of the monthly magazine
Wiener die
Stadtillustrierte
.
box 102, folder 7
Otto Muehl Gerümpelskulpturen 1961-62 Zeichnungen, Fotos,
Texte
,
1985
Scope and Content Note
Photocopies of photographs, drawings, and typed and handwritten notes by Mühl,
compiled by Jo Rob and issued in at the Friedrichshof Commune in 1985.
Ephemera related to Actionism,
1965-1983,
undated
1968-1969
Scope and Content Note
A 1968 flyer announcing screening of films in Kirchheim/Teck is shelved in box
107*, folder 6.
box 102, folder 11
1971
Scope and Content Note
Photocopies of drawings, photographs and texts related to Otto Mühl's 1971
performance
Ein schrecklicher Gedanke.
box 102, folder 15
Other art-related ephemera,
1969-1997,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Included is a postcard with drawings added by Otto Mühl, and a greeting card issued
by
AA Magazin.
box 102, folder 16-17
Various other items,
1996-1997,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Included are items related to Mühl's stay in prison; musical notes of a jazz
composition by Oskar Peterson, enclosed in wrapper which has a drawing by Mühl on
the front cover; and photocopy of
Der Wolf im Menschen by Robert
Ardrey with a drawing by Mühl on the front cover.
box 104
Books owned by Mühl,
1921, 1991-1992,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Rudolf Mangisch Galerie und Auktionshaus auction catalog of contemporary art with
an original drawing by Otto Mühl on the cover; catalog of an exhibiton of concrete
poetry by Eugen Gomringer, a 1921 edition of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's
correspondence with his wife, and a handbook of Spanish grammar.
box 105
Cardboard box with pencil drawings,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Contains a cardboard box with two small pencil drawings, possibly by Otto Mühl.
