Al HANSEN
1927–1995, USA/Germany

Al Hansen was born in Richmond Hill, Borough of Queens, New York City in 1927. He joined the US Air Force, served his country as a paratrooper in World War II and was honorably discharged. During his time with the Army Of Occupation in Frankfurt, Germany, he pushed a piano off the top of a 5 story bombed out building. Later, back in New York City and all over the world, he performed this act many times. He later titled it "Yoko Ono Piano Drop" after his friend and contemporary.
As an early member of the Fluxus Art Group his pieces were performed at several early international Fluxus Festivals. His pioneering work in the fields of "performance art" and "Happenings" is well documented. In 1965 he wrote the seminal performance art book, "A Primer of Happenings and Time Space Art" published by Something Else Press.
As an habitué of Andy Warhol's Factory, he was both influenced by and influenced the 1960's pop art movement.
In addition to Performance Art, he created thousands of collages mainly based around the image of the Venus Figure. Eternally fascinated by the Venus of Willendorf, he strove to continue the connection between those first primal art instincts and his own body of work.
As a student of John Cage at the New School for Social Research in New York City he learned the value of persistence. John Cage remained a friend and a fan of Hansen's until his death. In an interview conducted shortly before his death, he continued to praise the merits of the work of Al Hansen.
In the early 1980's Hansen moved to Cologne, Germany and established an art school. It is called the Ultimate Akademie and continues to be an integral part of the world's premier art city. Many artists from all over the world have participated in exhibitions and events at the Ultimate Akademie. Most, credit his influence for their continued commitment to the artisitic process and it's rewards.
On June 21, 1995 in Cologne Germany, Al Hansen died.
Although saddened by their loss, his daughter Bibbe Hansen, and his grandsons, Beck and Channing Hansen carry on his legacy: "Art Always Wins!"

CV:
1927 Born in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York
1945 Military Service, 82nd Airborne Division, Frankfurt; Cologne
1948 Berlin, Germany.
1950 US Airforce, Tactical Air Command
1954 South Carolina

EDUCATION
1949 Art Students League. New York City - John Groth
1950 Brooklyn College - Al Terris
1956 New School For Social Research - Experimental Music - John Cage
1959 Pratt Institute
1963 Environmental Loft Studio and Mixed Media Event Studies

TEACHING HISTORY
1967-74 Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
1970 Parsons School of Design
1979 Eskimo Art School Nuuk-G., Greenland
1987 Founded the Ultimate Akademie with Lisa Cieslik, Cologne, Germany
1988 Hochschule fur Bildende Kunst, Hamburg, Germany

Solo Exhibitions\Editions highlights
1960
New York 6 Gallery, Watercolors. New York City, New York
1961
New York Walking Show, New York, New York
1964
Judson Gallery, New York, New York
1966
Eastend Gallery, Massachussetts
1967
Ringelhaupt Gallery, Boston, Massachussetts
Hallmark Gallery, New York, New York
1970
Galerie Block, Berlin, Germany
Galerie Ingo Kummel, Cologne, Germany
1972
Galerie Inge Baecker, Bochum, Germany
1974
Galerie der Spiegel, Cologne, Germany- Archive Show
1979
"Collage and Construction", Galerie A, Amsterdam, Holland
Henie Museum, Oslo, Norway
Royal Academy of Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
1980
Munchatelier, Kultusministerium, Oslo, Norway
1981
Edition and Galerie Hundertmark. "Black Book" Cologne, Germany
Karl Valentin Museum, Munich, Germany.
1982
Petersom Galerie Berlin, Germany.
1986
"Structures and Sculptures" Galerie Offermann, Cologne, Germany
"In Search of the Goddess" Gracie Mansion Gallery, NYC, New York
Zeichnungen, Aquerelle. "Andy Warhol Attentat" Edition Hundertmark, Cologne, Germany
1988
"Collagen, Objekte, Fingerbilder." Galerie Klewan, Munich, Germany
Gracie Mansion Gallery, NYC, New York
1989
Artothek Koln, Cologne, Germany
Galerie Kolon, Cologne, Germany
Gracie Mansion Gallery, NYC, New York
1990
"The Temple Of The Goddess" Galerie Kolon, Cologne, Germany
1991
Galerie Klewan, Munich, Germany
"Exposition" Galerie 1900-2000 Marcel Fleiss
1992
Lisi Hamerle Gallery, Bregenz, Austria
1993
Galerie Klewan, Munich, Germany
1994
Troy Gallery Los Angeles, California
1995
Michael Wewerka Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Gracie Mansion Gallery, NYC, New York
Kunstverein Rosenheim, Rosenheim, Germany
1996
Kölnisches Stadt Museum, Cologne, Germany
1998
Emily Harvey Gallery in association with Gracie Mansion Gallery
Galerie Helmut Klewan, Munich Germany
1999
Galerie und Edition Hundertmark Objekte, Collagen, Aqurarelle, Fotos
2000
Galerie Inge Baecker, Cologne, Germany
2002
Galerie und Edition Hundertmark, Cologne, Germany
2003
"Life is Fluxus" Lattuada Studio Gallery, Milan, Italy
2006
Andrea Rosen Gallery, NYC, New York
2008
Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark

GROUP SHOWS
1959
"Below Zero" With Rauschenberg, Oldenburg, Dine, Kaprow, Reuben Gallery, NYC, New York
1960
"Ray Gun Spex" With Kaprow, Dine, Oldenburg, Judson Gallery (Hansen: Multiple Projections), New York City, New York
1963
"Fluxus Anti-Musik Festival" With Beuys, Hansen, Paik, and Spoerri
Staatliche Kunstakademie, Dusseldorf, Germany
1966
"Juxtapositionen." Neue Galerie, Aachen, Germany
1969
"Happening & Fluxus." Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Germany
1970
"This Is Not Here Show" With Yoko Ono and John Lennon, Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York.
1973
Galerie Block, Berlin, Phenomenatransactionskunst: A Hansen Mini- Retrospective
1975
Galerie Baecker, Bochum. Collage/Decollage Works by Brecht, Filliou, Hansen, Schwitters, Spoerri, Vostell, Watts and others.
1977
Galerie Rene Block, Berlin. Photographie Exhibition. Works by: Beuys, Duchamp, Baumgarten, Becher, Hansen, Hodicke, Kaprow, Knoebel
1982
"Attersee Party Performance." With Beuys, Dieter Rot, Lupertz, Attersee, Wurthie, Iannone in der Exil Bar, Kreuzberg, Berlin
1984
"Gruppenausstel" With Hansen, Cieslik and Yilmaz, Cologne
1986
"Unausgewogen." Kolnischer Kunstverein. Cologne, Germany
1987
"Conflux-Ausstellung." Wewerka Galerie, Berlin, Germany
1988
"Mobel als Kunstobjekt." Kunstlerwerkstatt. Munich, Germany
"Parallel, Dokumentas Banana, Erotica, Fotografica"Ultimate AkademieAusstellungen, Cologne, Germany
1989
"The Junk Aesthetic" Whitney Museum, NYC, New York
"Happening & Fluxus" Galerie 1900 bis 2000, Paris, France
"Walk Don't Walk" Walkman Show, Kunstlerbuch Galerie, Cologne
1992
"Fluxus-Virus" Cologne Kuntsverein, Cologne, Germany
"L'Art Est Inutile" Bregenzer Kunstverein, Palais Thurm und Taxis, Bregenz, Austria
1994
Galerie Mamus, Copenhagen, Denmark, With Hansen, Gyr, Den Fria , Henryk Pryds Beck and others
1995
Fluxus Virus - St. Petersberg and Moscow, Russia-With Hansen and Ben Patterson, Vautier, Joe Jones, Bob Watts, Nam June Paik, Alison Knowles, Larry Miller, Emmett Williams, Dick Higgins and others
Louis Stern Gallery, Los Angeles - "Pasted Papers" Collage in the 20th Century"
UBU Gallery, NYC, New York "The Gun: Icon of Twenthieth Century Art"
1996
Fotouhi Cramer Gallery, "Box", NYC, New York
Rafael Vostell Fine Art, Berlin, Germany "Aus der Sammlung"
Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IFA), Stuttgart, Germany Fluxus in Germany
A large exhibition of Fluxus works, spanning the period and sponsored by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IFA) of Stuttgart. Curators: René Block and Gabriele Knapstein
Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw, Poland Fluxus in Germany
Contemporary Art Center - CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania Fluxus in Germany
1997
Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje, Macedonia Fluxus in Germany
1998
And I Quote... Mary Delahoyd Gallery New York; curated by Pavel Zoubok
Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia, "Francesco Conz-Intermedia and the Avant Garde"
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, "Out of Actions: Between Performance and the Object 1949-1979"
Museum für angewnadte Kunst (MAK), Vienna "Out of Actions: Between Performance and the Object 1949-1979"
Santa Monica Museum of Art, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches" Channing Hansen performed Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead" and "Yoko Ono Piano Drop" during the two opening nights, May 7th and 8th
Thread Waxing Space, New York, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; performances by Channing Hansen, Beck Hansen, Marianne Faithfull, foot (Thurston Moore, Don Fleming, Jim Dunbar), Larry Miller, Rebecca Moore & special guests; Happening conducted by Bibbe Hansen; Panel Discussion with Hannah Higgins, Wayne Baerwaldt, Carlo McCormick, Francesco Conz and Bibbe Hansen
Plug, In, Winnipeg, Canada, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead"
1999
Art Beatus, Vancouver, Canada, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead"
LaForet, Tokyo, Japan, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead"
LaForet, Fukuoka, Japan, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"
La Foret, Nagoya, Japan, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"
Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"
Gallery talk by Bibbe Hansen, Francesco Conz and Wayne Baerwaldt performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead."
2000
Power Plant, Toronto, Canada, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead"
Schloss Moyland Museum, Joseph Beuys Institute, Germany, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches";
Panel Discussion with Bibbe Hansen, Channing Hansen, Wayne Baerwaldt, Beck Hansen
Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queens University, Kingston, Canada, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; Lecture "Al Hansen, His Life and Art" by Bibbe Hansen; performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead"
2001
Centre Pompidou, Paris, France Les Années Pop
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth, New Zealand Fluxus in Germany
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, "Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches"; Performance Workshop conducted by Bibbe Hansen; Happening conducted by Bibbe Hansen including workshop participants; Lecture "Al Hansen, His Life and Art" by Bibbe Hansen; performance by Channing Hansen - Al Hansen's "Elegy for the Fluxus Dead"
2002
Galerie Berndt, Cologne, Germany
COPIA Food and Wine Museum, Napa Valley, California Sweet Tooth
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology - RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, Australia Fluxus in Germany
Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China Fluxus in Germany
2003
Mead Art Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey Critical Mass: Happenings, Fluxus, Performance, Intermedia and Rutgers University 1958 - 1972
Grimm Rosenfed Gallery, Munich Germany -- "Game Over"
2004
National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland Fluxus in Germany
Museo Rufino Tamayo de Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico D.F., Mexico Fluxus in Germany
2005
Hal Bromm Gallery, NYC, New York
Pavel Zoubok Gallery, NYC, New York -- "Collage, Signs and Surfaces"
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo - MAC, Santiago, Chile Fluxus in Germany
Andrea Rosen Gallery, NYC, New York -- "Looking at Words"
Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany -- Induction to the permanent collection.
2006
Pavel Zoubok Gallery, NYC, New York -- "Constellation"

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Al Hansen studied at the Art Students League in New York City, then at the Brooklyn College and later at the New School For Social Research - Experimental Music with John Cage. Hansen was a pioneer of performance art and happenings. In his first, legendary performance he threw a piano from the roof a bombed five-story house whilst stationed in Frankfurt as a soldier in the occupying army. In New York, he worked in Andy Warhol’s Factory and collaborated with John Cage. In 1965, he published ‘A Primer of Happenings and Time Space Art’ – a seminal work on Fluxus art. In 1983, Hansen moved to Cologne where he founded the ‘Ultimate Academy’, a free educational institution for performance art, which became meeting point for German and international artists. To this day, Al Hansen is still regarded as one of the most influential figures of the Fluxus movement.

Source: http://www.alhansen.net/bio.htm http://auctionata.com/