KlausGroh
Biography
Klaus Groh (1936, Nysa (then Germany, now part of Poland)), is a German artist, author, and musician widely recognized for his influential role within the Mail Art movement. He studied art education and art history at Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg, earning his doctorate with a dissertation examining the new Dadaism emerging on the American West Coast. In 1969, Groh established the International Artists' Cooperation (IAC), an organization focused on fostering international artistic exchanges. He was instrumental in editing and publishing "IAC-INFO," a pioneering publication that laid the groundwork for many subsequent Mail Art newsletters and networks. Between 1971 and 2006, Groh directed the Micro Hall Art Center and managed Kleinkunstbühne Literaturium, a cabaret-style literary stage, both based in Oldenburg. During the Cold War, Groh was a key figure connecting artists from Eastern and Western Europe, facilitating dialogue and collaboration between American Mail Art practitioners and their counterparts in Eastern Europe, including artists from the former East Germany. His extensive work significantly enhanced the global distribution and recognition of avant-garde art practices. Groh’s artistic output spans multiple mediums, including collage, object art, artist books, and Mail Art, with his work regularly exhibited internationally since the late 1960s. He has also written and contributed to various publications that document and analyze alternative and experimental artistic movements. His extensive collection of artist-produced materials, correspondence, and documentation provides important insights into independent artistic networks active from the late 1960s through the 1980s. As of 2017, Klaus Groh continues to live and work in Oldenburg, Germany, actively contributing to contemporary artistic discourse.
