In 1936 the 22-year old Danish painter Asger Jorn traveled to Paris in search of artistic stimulation. He worked at the "Académie Léger" and at the office of Le Corbusier, while becoming acquainted with members of Surrealist art circles. After confrontation with Léger's formalism and André Breton's Surrealist theories, especially that of écriture automatique, he finally discovered his own form of expression. He experimented with widely differing media and techniques. In 1948 Jorn was a founding member of the group "COBRA"; in countless theoretical writings he exposed its goals of integrating folk art, children's drawing, and the creations of the mentally ill, and of directly reaching an undistorted public through new painterly means. Asger Jorn's life work is thoroughly appraised in this comprehensive account. The paintings, examined here in detailed descriptions, are all characterized by the unique color effects whereby Jorn sought to transpose feelings into color. The graphic work, ceramics, and carpets are thoroughly documented.