Born in 1938 in Ardning, Günter Brus studied at the Arts College in Graz and the Academy of Applied Arts in Vienna, which he left in 1960. Together with Mühl, Nitsch and Schwarzkogler, he established the Viennese Actionism in 1964.

The Destruction in Art Symposium, held in London in 1966, marked the first encounter between members of Fluxus und Actionism, and brought international recognition for the work of Brus. Following his last action Zerreißprobe (1970), Brus explored ways to synthesize poetry and painting, culminating in a series called Bild-Dichtungen.

In 1997, Günter Brus was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize.