Asger Jornwas a Danish painter, sculptor, and writer, and a founding member of the postwar avant-garde group COBRA. His work is known for its raw, expressive energy, combining bold color, gestural abstraction, and imagery drawn from mythology, folk art, and the unconscious. Jorn challenged academic traditions and emphasized spontaneity and experimentation as vital forces in modern art. Beyond painting, he was an influential theorist and later a key figure in the Situationist International, where he helped shape radical ideas about art, politics, and everyday life.
1914: Born as Asger Oluf Jørgensen on 3 March 1914 in Vejrum, Jutland (Denmark).
1936: Moves to Paris and attends Fernand Léger’s Académie Contemporaine.
1937: Contracted by Le Corbusier, he designs large-format decorations for the Pavillon des Temps Nouveauxat the Paris World’s Fair.
1948: Founds the art group CoBrA along with Karel Appel, Corneille, Christian Dotremont and Joseph Noiret.
1949: Participates in the first CoBrA exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Resides in Switzerland.
As of 1954: Asger Jorn achieves his international breakthrough as an artist.
1954-58: Cofounder of the Mouvement International pour un Bauhaus Imaginiste (“International Movement for an Imaginist Bauhaus”).
As of 1955: Homes in Paris and Albisola.
1957-61: Crucial member of the art group Situationistische Internationale (S.I.).
1961: Leaves the S.I. to found the Institute for Comparative Vandalism.
As of 1960 Jorn paints over oil painting and prints from department stores and salon paintings of the 19th century. He describes his new work as “défigurations” or “modifications“.
1964: Creates décollages and ripped-paper pieces made of re-glued paper. Is awarded and rejects the Guggenheim Prize.
As of 1970: His primary focus moves from painting to sculpture.
1973: Dies on 1 May in Aarhus, Jutland (Denmark).
Site managed with ARTBUTLER
