Austrian Artist Hermann Nitsch Recognized in Havana

HAVANA TIMES — Cuba’s Superior Institute of Art granted the title of Honorary Doctor of Arts on Tuesday to the distinguished painter, writer and composer Hermann Nitsch, who had been invited to the 11th Biennial of Havana arts festival, reported the Prensa Latina news agency.

“Coming to Cuba always interested me, and I think somewhere in my heart I belong to this country,” said the Austrian artist when recognizing that Cubans appreciate his art, which has been described as revolutionary and a transgressor of established canons.

Nitsch expressed his desire to return to the island to give a lecture at that same arts university. On the preceding day, there on the school’s campus he performed his “Aktion135,” a visual arts activity that combines various expressions of artistic creativity with different rituals and traditions.