Al Hansen (1927 - 1995) - Gold Venus

Al Hansen (1927–1995), Gold Venus, 1991.

Collage. Gold foil on black cardboard. 35 x 24.8 cm, on the right signed and dated in pencil. Verso with 4 double‑sided pieces of tape.

Provenance: Private collection, Berlin.

Condition: Very good condition. Minor abrasion to the cardboard. Images are part of the condition description.

The collage “Gold Venus” was created in 1991 as part of the rare Art Matrix edition and belongs to Al Hansen's famous Venus cycle, a central body of work of his late Fluxus period. With his Venus depictions composed of gold paper, found materials and collage elements, Hansen linked the iconography of the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf with the experimental visual language of the Fluxus movement and created some of his most sought-after works of the 1990s.

Al Hansen (1927–1995) was an American Fluxus artist, Happening pioneer, and one of the most influential representatives of the international avant-garde of the 20th century. As a student of the composer John Cage, Hansen since the 1950s developed an interdisciplinary body of work from collages, assemblages, performances, experimental films, and artist books, consciously dissolving the boundaries between art and everyday life. He gained international recognition especially with his multifaceted Venus collages, in which he combined the motif of the Venus of Willendorf with found materials, gold foil, and elements of pop culture. His works have been exhibited worldwide and are today in renowned public and private collections. Al Hansen is regarded as one of the defining protagonists of the Fluxus movement and as an important pioneer of contemporary conceptual and performance art.