The term Dé-coll/age emerged in 1954 after Wolf Vostell read a headline regarding a Lockheed Super Constellation plane crash. By altering the spelling of the French word for detaching or loosening, he established a central design principle that defined his approach to poster art, electronic media, and the breakdown of traditional artistic values throughout the twentieth century.
Early Development and Education
Born in Leverkusen in 1932, Vostell began refining his artistic concepts by 1950. He pursued practical training as a lithographer starting in 1953, while also attending the Academy of Applied Art in Wuppertal. His formal education continued in Paris at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts during 1955 and 1956. By 1957, he furthered his studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, preparing for a career that spanned photography, filmmaking, and performance art.
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Vostell staged his first happening, The Theater is in the Street, in Paris in 1958. This event integrated television sets and automobile components, reflecting his fascination with modern media and industrial detritus. As a co-founder of the Fluxus movement in 1962, he participated in the FLUXUS Internationale Festspiele Neuester Musik in Wiesbaden alongside artists such as Nam June Paik and George Maciunas. Throughout the 1960s, he orchestrated numerous happenings in cities including New York, Berlin, Cologne, and Ulm.
Video Art and Concrete Installations
A pioneer of installation and video art, Vostell premiered 6-TV-Dé-coll/age at the Smolin Gallery in New York in 1963. His practice included embedding objects in concrete, most notably in large-scale automobile sculptures. Major examples of this work include Ruhender Verkehr in Cologne, Concrete Traffic in Chicago, and the 1987 installation Zwei Beton-Cadillacs in Form der nackten Maja in Berlin. His television-integrated works, such as the 1958 piece The black room, predated many other artists in the medium.
Retrospectives and Legacy
In 1974, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris hosted a major retrospective of his work, which later traveled to the Neue Nationalgalerie. A comprehensive retrospective occurred in 1992 across multiple German venues, including the Stadtmuseum Köln and the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn. Vostell received the Berliner Bär award in 1996. He died in Berlin in 1998 and is buried at the Civil Cemetery in Madrid.
Fast facts
- Born: 1932, Leverkusen
- Died: 1998, Berlin
- Citizenship: Germany
- Movement: Fluxus
- Notable Work: Ruhender Verkehr
- Education: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and Beaux-Arts de Paris
- Award: Berliner Bär (1996)
- Burial site: Civil Cemetery, Madrid
Questions readers ask
What is the meaning of Dé-coll/age as defined by Vostell?
It is a visual force and design principle used to break down outworn values and media by utilizing mobile fragments of reality.
Which artists did Vostell work with during the Fluxus movement?
He collaborated with figures including Nam June Paik, George Maciunas, Joseph Beuys, and Dick Higgins.
Achievements
- Notable work: Ruhender Verkehr
- Movement: Fluxus
