Jørgen Nash

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jørgen Nash (March 16, 1920 - May 17, 2004) was a Danish artist, writer and central proponent of situationism. He was born in Vejrum, Jutland, Denmark, baptized Jørgen Axel Jørgensen, the brother of Asger Jorn. He later changed his family name from Jørgensen to Nash. He was married three times and has six children. His last marriage was with the painter Lis Zwick and would last until his death in 2004. The last 40 years of his life he lived in the artist collective Drakabygget outside Örkelljunga, Sweden.

From 1948 to 1951 he was involved with CoBrA. He went on to join the Situationist International (SI).

In 1959 he produced Stavrim, Sonetter a book of poetry illustrated by Jorn.

In 1960 he founded the Situationist Bauhaus based at the farm Drakabygget with Jorn.

He is the editor of Drakabygget, a journal about art and social philosophy.

On 15 March 1962 Nash was excluded from the SI along with Ansgar Elde. Both had been on the central committee and were accused of conspiring with certain art collectors. In the tract Danger! Do Not Lean Out, Elde, with Nash and Jacqueline de Jong, had defended Ervin Eisch, Lothar Fischer, Dieter Kunzelmann, Renee Nele, Heimrad Prem, Gretel Stadler, Helmut Sturm and Hand-Peter Zimmer who had been excluded on 10 February 1962. These were the Gruppe SPUR, who had joined the SI in 1959. Nash had co-edited their magazine Spur. Danger! Do Not Lean Out said that although there may be grounds to criticise SPUR, the way they had been expelled was totalitarian. The SI, at the behest of Jeppesen Victor Martin, described those they had expelled as nashists.

On 24 April 1964 Nash with other members of Bauhaus Situationniste decapitated the statue of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen harbour. This manifestation was part of the movements campaign against consumerist society.

Following his exclusion he became involved in the Second Situationist International and the creation in 1974 of the Situationist Antinational.

In 1963 became an honorary artist of the Royal Danish Academy of Art.

He has exhibited at: