Hermann Nitsch (b.1938) was a major Austrian artist and a co-founder of Viennese Actionism. His radical, interdisciplinary practice combined performance, painting, music, theater, and ritual, culminating in his lifelong project, the Theatre of Orgies and Mysteries—a total artwork engaging all five senses. Trained in Vienna, Nitsch developed a provocative body of work exploring catharsis, existence, and the limits of artistic expression. He lived and worked between Prinzendorf and Italy and exhibited internationally, leaving a lasting influence on contemporary art.