Otto Muehl. Leben / Kunst / Werk. Aktion Utopie Malerei 1960–2004 was published in 2004 on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name at the MAK, Vienna.

Edited by Peter Noever, the volume offers an extensive overview of Muehl’s work, from the early material paintings, junk sculptures, and Actionist works to later groups of paintings. The publication documents an artistic trajectory closely connected to Viennese Actionism, while also extending far beyond that historical phase.

The catalogue brings together numerous illustrations, many of them full-page, as well as contributions by, among others, Éric Alliez, Bettina M. Busse, Michel Giroud, Peter Gorsen, Otto Muehl, and Peter Turrini. It makes visible the range of a practice situated between action, body, painting, utopia, and social transgression. Beyond its art-historical framing, the volume can also be read as an extensive visual archive of Muehl’s production across more than four decades.

This copy has a particular object character through the hand-drawn sketch “Hai” on the title page, signed by Otto Muehl and dated 3 August 2004. The individual drawing adds an original artistic trace to the exhibition catalogue and distinguishes this copy from the regular edition. Condition note: the front endpaper has a crease.