Herbert Distel

Herbert Distel is a Swiss painter, sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, and composer. He is a landmark conceptual artist who is primarily known for his sculpture and sound art. Distel studied lithography in Paris, and began creating geometrical sculptures in the mid 1960s. His first work, “Projekt Canaris,” was to launch a three-meter long polyester egg off of the west coast of Africa that reached Trinidad seven months later.
From 1970 to 1977, Distel worked on his revolutionary “Museum of Drawers,” a cabinet with 20 drawers that each contained 25 rooms in which living artists contributed miniature art pieces. The artists featured included Pablo Picasso, Chuck Close, Carl Andre and John Cage. Distel is also well known for his sound work, including his 1971 LP “We Have a Problem,” which mixed NASA recording from Apollo 13 with a piano recording of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Distel also continues to work in film, photography, and paint.