Archivio Conz

Serge III Oldenbourg was a French artist known for pushing the boundaries of his work to the extreme. His biography constantly plays out at the intersection of truth and legend. Part of a family of Russian intellectuals who were refugees in France, he was primarily interested in traditional painting until he moved to Nice in the 1950s, at the time a crossroads of several artistic avant-gardes, including Nouveau Réalisme and Fluxus. The influence of Ben Vautier and his “Art Total,” the acquaintance with George Maciunas in 1963, and the following of the incisive activities of Robert Filliou and George Brecht’s La Cédille qui sourit ultimately kindled Oldenbourg’s interest in performance and Happenings. Oldenbourg’s works are marked by a radical and caustic attitude. In 1964, on the occasion of his participation in Jean-Jacques Lebel’s Festival de la Libre Expression in Paris, Oldenbourg proposed Death, a Russian roulette played against himself with a real gun and bullet. At the firing of a single lucky shot, he discharged the gun, throwing the bullet at the audience. The same drive carried Oldenbourg throughout Europe, where he presented Fluxus concerts and Happenings with Ben Vautier in collaboration with George Maciunas. In 1966, he performed alongside Milan Knížák, Dick Higgins, and Alison Knowles in Prague. Following the conclusion of the final evening’s event, Oldenbourg handed his passport to a Slovak soldier who promptly deserted his post and managed to escape westward. This incident led to the incarceration of Oldenbourg, who served more than a year in prison before being released in exchange for a Czech spy jailed in France. In the account presented in Journal de Prison (1983), Oldenbourg reflects on his moral strength, personal freedom, and—more importantly—the scope of art and its inner subversive essence. References to imprisonment remained a central resonance in his artistic production. Similarly, in 1970, for the Environs II exhibition in Tours, Oldenbourg attempted to hijack a bus by directing it to a library that was hosting his upcoming concert. During his career, Oldenbourg participated in countless Fluxus events, becoming one of the emblematic figures of the École de Nice. He exhibited in numerous galleries, at the Galerie d’art contemporain des Musées de Nice (1988), and, along with many Fluxus peers, at the 1990 Biennale di Venezia.