Al Hansen (Alfred Earl Hansen) (NY 1927 – Cologne 1995) was an American artist and pioneer in the field of performance art as a member of the Neo-Dadaist group Fluxus, founded in the 1950s with the idea of breaking down the barriers between various artistic categories. During World War II, he joined the American Air Force and, during the European occupation, performed one of his first happenings in Frankfurt, known as “Yoko Ono Piano Drops,” by dropping a piano from a bombed-out building. Returning to New York, he studied art with John Cage at the New School for Research, and in the 1960s, he immersed himself in the culture of Andy Warhol’s Factory, shifting towards expressive forms such as collage and assemblage.
In 1966, he participated in the Destruction in Art Symposium in London organized by Gustav Metzger, where he came into contact with many of the Viennese Action Artists. That same year, Otto Muehl organized an event called “Action Concert for Al Hansen” in Vienna. His art explores everyday dimensions, as evidenced by his works inspired by the Venus of Willendorf, also touching on important themes in U.S. history, such as the issue of Native Americans.
© Fondazione Morra
