Gerhard Rühm

Gerhard Rühm is an Austrian author, composer and visual artist.

Biography

Rühm was born in Vienna. He studied the piano and music composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Following his studies he undertook private lessons with the twelve-tone composer Josef Matthias Hauer. Since the beginning of the 1950s Rühm has produced sound poetry, spoken word, visual poetry, photomontages and books. He is a co-founder of the Wiener Gruppe, with Friedrich Achleitner, Hans Carl Artmann, Konrad Bayer und Oswald Wiener, as well as the publisher of an anthology by the same name. From 1972–1996 Rühm taught as a professor at the University of Fine Arts, Hamburg and from 1978–1982 he acted as president of the Grazer Autorenversammlung.
His artistic production is inspired by August Stramm, Kurt Schwitters, Gertrude Stein, Carl Einstein und Paul Scheerbart. Rühm's works are often located at the border between music, language, gestures and the visual. His audible works are outstanding examples of innovative radio plays and acoustic art. During a sojourn in Lebanon he became interested in eastern musical styles.
In addition to producing his own work, which has been recognized by numerous awards and prizes. Rühm is also the administrator of the estate of Franz Richard Behrens and is the publisher of the works of Konrad Bayer. Since 1978 he has been a member of the Freie Akademie der Künste in Hamburg. In 2009 he was awarded the Alice Salomon Prize for Poetics and on January 25, 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cologne.
His son is the photographer and director David Rühm.

Prizes

1976 – Austrian Appreciation Prize for Literature
1977 – Karl Sczuka Prize
1984 – Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden
1984 – Literature Prize of Vienna
1991 – Austrian State Prize for Literature
1991 – Medal of Honour of Vienna
2007 – Alice Salomon Prize for Poetics
2007 – Gold Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
2010 – Honorary Doctorate, University of Cologne
2013 – Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
2014 – Award of the City of Vienna, Art
2015 – Karl Sczuka Prize
2022 – America Award in Literature

Collected works

Gesammelte Werke. Published by Michael Fisch.

Volume 1.1 and 1.2: poems. published by Michael Fisch. Parthas Verlag, Berlin 2005.
Volume 2.1: visual poetics. published by Monika Lichtenfeld. Parthas Verlag, Berlin 2006.
Volume 2.2: visual music. published by Monika Lichtenfeld. Parthas Verlag, Berlin 2006.
Volume 3.1: audible music. published by Monika Lichtenfeld. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2013.
Volume 3.2: audio pieces. published by Paul Pechmann. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin, forthcoming in autumn 2014.
Volume 4.1: prose texts. published by Michael Fisch. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin, forthcoming in autumn 2015.
Volume 4.2: image history. published by Thomas Eder. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin, forthcoming in autumn 2014.
Volume 5: plays. published by Michael Fisch and Monika Lichtenfeld. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2010.
Volume 6.1 and 6.2: sound poems, composition for piano.
Volume 7: melodramas, songs, chansons.
Volume 8.1 and 8.2: sculptural works.
Volume 9: theoretical writing.
Volume 10: supplement.

This edition of work comprises 10 volumes in 16 books, and has been published since the fifth volume by Matthes & Seitz Berlin.

Sound Recordings

Interpretation of Josef Matthias Hauer: Sieben kleine Stücke für Klavier op.3, Fünf Hölderlin-Lieder op. 6, Sechs Zwölftonspiele, Gerhard Rühm and Adelina Rühm, Amadeo AVRS 3013, Vienna, LP 1953ich küsse heiß den warmen sitz – gerhard rühm spielt und singt eigene chansons nach texten von rühm, bayer und wiener, da camera song sm 95022, Heidelberg, LP, 1969
With Christian Attersee: Klaviertreiben, Gerhard Rühm, Christian Attersee, Galerie Heike Curtze 001, Privatpressung, Düsseldorf/Vienna, 1981bleistiftmusik.. Köln: Edition Hundertmark 1982.das leben chopins und andere ton-dichtungen., Edition Block EB 115/6, Berlin, DoLP, 1988botschaft an die zukunft. Collected spoken texte. Reinbek: Rowohlt 1988. Wiener Lieder und Gedichte. Graz und Vienna: Droschl 1993 vom eintonstück zum damentango. Piano pieces and Melodrama 1950–1997. Edition Zeitton. Vienna: Österreichischer Rundfunk 1998. CD 151 Opheila and the words / Wald, ein deutsches Requiem / Kleine Geschichte der Zivilisation. Mainz: Wergo 1998. verlier' nicht den kopf aus liebe. Collected Chansons from five decades. Edition Zeitton. Vienna: Österreichischer Rundfunk 2000. CD 211
With Konrad Bayer: gemeinschaftsarbeiten 1957–1962. Köln: supposé 2002. foetus. Graz: Literaturhaus 2003.