Asger Jorn was continuously on the lookout for collaborations. In Denmark, he joined the art groups Linien (1934–1939) and Høst (1942-1948). During the Second World War he was part of the cultural resistance, in part with his magazine Helhesten. Immediately after the war he established a large European network. He met the later co-founders of Cobra, the Dutch artist Constant and the Belgian poet Christian Dotremont, with whom Jorn formed the intellectual force behind Cobra. He has even been called the ‘soul’ of the group.
Jacques Doucet in 1985 about Asger Jorn: Cobra’s prime mover was above all Asger Jorn, whose role was extremely important. Cobra’s soul owed him a lot.”