M HKA ACADEMY (NL)

M HKA academy (NL)
Sun 09.03, 16.03 and 30.03, 14:00

M HKA, Auditorium
free

Action in Antwerp! The passionate M HKA art historian and Academy lecturer Piet Van Hecke invites you for a free crash course in the history of happenings and performances in Antwerp.

After the lecture, there will be time to view several related works in the museum together.

Sun, 09.03, Chapter 1:
Happenings and Actions in the 1960s: Questioning Art

In 1959, Yves Klein presented an immaterial artwork in the attic of the Hessenhuis in Antwerp. Inspired by broader societal developments, Hugo Heyrman, Panamarenko, and Wout Vercammen organized happenings in the streets of Antwerp during the 1960s. Starting in 1966, the Wide White Space Gallery, located behind KMSKA, showcased performative works by leading figures of the post-war avant-garde, including Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, and Christo. Nearby, in Beelhouwersstraat, the short-lived anti-gallery A379089 challenged the conventions of the art world. At the end of this period, a group of artists sent a letter to the king, requesting that the Royal Palace on the Meir be transformed into a space for contemporary art.