Alexander Brener

Alexander Davidovič Brener (Russian: Александр Бренер) born 1957 in Alma-Ata, is a Russian-Jewish performance artist. His performances of note include defecating in front of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh at the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, having sex on city streets, and vandalizing art work.

He was jailed in 1997 for painting a green dollar sign on Kazimir Malevich's painting Suprematisme. In the court case Brener said in his defense:

The cross is a symbol of suffering, the dollar sign a symbol of trade and merchandise. On humanitarian grounds are the ideas of Jesus Christ of higher significance than those of the money. What I did was not against the painting. I view my act as a dialogue with Malevich.

He was sentenced to time in prison, where he wrote obosani pistolet. In the text he explains his beliefs and summarizes his actions. He co-wrote BUKAKA SPAT HERE, Tattoos auf Gefängnissen, and Anti technologies of resistance with Barbara Schurz.

Brener is mentioned in passing in Stewart Home's novel Memphis Underground.

See also

• Graffiti
• Neoism

Brenner challenge president Putin to a boxing match.

External links

• Article: http://web.archive.org/web/20070314055854/http://www.renewal.org.au/artcrime/pages/malevich1.html
• Article: 'Violence to Endurance: Extreme Curating' at the ICA
• Letter of support for Brener: http://web.archive.org/web/20070116125615/http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/brener.htm