JOSEPH BEUYS
(Krefeld, Germany, 1921)
Joseph Beuys is one of the most important artists of the second half of the 20th century.
He served in the German air force throughout World War II; his plane was shot down on the Crimean Front and he was rescued by nomadic Tartar; they wrapped Beuys in fat and felt to save his life. These two materials later became important features in the artist’s work.
After the war, from 1947 to 1951, Beuys studied art at the Academy of Dusseldorf, where he became professor of sculpture in 1961.
In the 1960s he was a key participant in Fluxus movement, a group of artists with ideas about how art could play a wider role in society. They made art in many forms including sculptures, performance, video and installations.
He began to publicly exhibit his large-scale sculptures, small objects, drawings and room installations. He also created numerous actions and began making editioned objects and prints called multiples.
In the 70s Beuys spent an inspiring period of his life in Italy, working with some of the most representative Italian artists and gallerists of that time as Achille Bonito Oliva, Arturo Schwarz, Germano Celant, Lucrezia De Domizio Durini and Lucio Amelio. Thanks to Amelio, Beuys collaborated with Andy Warhol to realize the exhibition “Beuys by Warhol” in Naples in 1980. In the same period, the gallerist Lucio Amelio realized and promoted an important group show, “Terrae Motus”, with works by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Miquel Barcelò, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Enzo Cucchi, Mario Merz and Mimmo Paladino.
Amongst other things, Beuys founded the following political organisations: German Student Party (1967), Organization for Direct Democracy Through Referendum (1971), Free International University for Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research (1974) and German Green Party Die Grünen (1980). Some of his works dealt explicitly with the issues at play in the political groups with which he was affiliated
In the 70s and 80s Beuys was most active on the international stage and his works were displayed around the world, from Venice’s Biennale to Documenta Kassel to New York’s Guggenheim.
MAIN SOLO AND GROUP SHOWS
1985
7000 Eichen. 34 Künstler stiften eine Arbeit für die Aktion von Joseph Beuys (7000 Querce 34 artisti donano un opera per l’Azione di Joseph Beuys) Kunsthalle, Tubinga
Palazzo Regale, Museo di Capodimonte, Napoli
Plight,( situazione critica )Museo Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Parigi
1984
Difesa della natura, scultura sociale, Bolognano
Olivestone, scultura, Museo di Rivoli, Torino
1983
Das Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts (La Fine del Ventesimo Secolo), Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna
Ohne Titel (Senza titolo) Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Schmerzraum 1941-1983 (Spazio del Dolore 1941-1983), Galleria Konrad Fischer, Düsseldorf
1982
L’Environment , Galleria Durrand-Dessert, Parigi
Joseph Beuys, letzter Raum? Last space? Dernier espace? (Joseph Beuys, Ultimo spazio) Galleria di d’Offay, Londra
Installazione Hirschdenkmäler, per “Zeitgeist”, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlino
1981
Installazione -Grond. Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville Parigi.
Azione, Performance “ Terrae Motus”, Galleria Lucio Amelio, Napoli
7000 Eichen (7000 Querce) documenta Kassel 7, Germania
1980
Joseph Beuys by AndyWarhol, Galleria Lucio Amelio, Napoli
Das Kapital Raum 1970-1977 (Sala del Capitale 1970-1977) 39°Biennale di Venezia
Wirtschaftwerte (Valori economici) Gand
Installazione -Stripes from the House of the Shaman 1964-1972 (Strisce dalla casa dello sciamano 1964-1972), Galleria di Anthony d’Offay, Londra
Joseph Beuys, oggetti, disegni, multipli, stampe, Galerie Heinz Holtmann, Coloni Rocca Paolina, Perugia, Italia
1979
Brazilian Fond (FOND V) (Fondo Brasiliano [FOND V]), 15° Biennale di San Paolo
Joseph Beuys Zeichnungen TekeningenDrawings (Disegni), Museum BoijmansVan Beuningen Rotterdam
Joseph Beuys, Retrospettiva, Guggenheim Museum, New York
1978
Installazione -Feuerstatte II (Focolare II), Basilea
Beuys – Tracce in Italia (Beuys – Tracce in Italia), Museo Diego Aragona Pignatelli, Napoli
1977
Installazione-Honigpumpe am Arbeitsplatz, (Pompa di miele al suo posto di lavoro), Documenta 6 Kassel , Germania
Munster Unschlitt (Sego), Munster
1976
Zeige deine Wunde, (mostra la tua ferita), Lenbachhaus, Monaco di Baviera
Installazione-Straßenbahn-Haltestelle (Fermata del Tram) 37° Biennale, Venezia
Fond IV/4 (FondoIV/4) Galleria Schmela
1975
RICHTKRÄFTE ‘74 , Galleria René Block New York
1974
The Secret Block for a Secret Person in Ireland (Il Blocco Segreto per una PersonaSegreta in Irlanda), Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
Azione-I like America and America likes me . Galleria René Block New York
Tracce in Italia, Galleria Lucio Amelio a Napoli
1972
Information-Action Whitechapel Gallery di Londra
Documenta 5 Kassel, Germania, presenta l’Ufficio d’Informazione dell’Organisation für direkte Demokratie durch Volksabstimmung.
Arena – Where Would I Have got if I Had Been Intelligent!(Arena – Dove sarei arrivato se fossi stato intelligente!) Galleria Lucio Amelio, Napoli
Azione -Anacharsis Cloots, Galleria L’Attico di Fabio Sargentini, Roma
1971
Azione Raum 20 (Stanza 20) , Accademia di Düsseldorf.
La rivoluzione siamo noi” , Modern Art Agency, Napoli
I want to see my mountains (Voglio vedere le mie montagne) Collection Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
Ciclo sull’opera di Joseph Beuys 1946-1971 (Ciclo sull’opera di Joseph Beuys 1946-1971) Modern Art Agency di Lucio Amelio, Napoli
1970
Celtic (Kinloch Rannoch) Scottische Symphonie (Celtic [Kinloch Rannoch] Sinfonia Scozzese).
1969
Installazione- Joseph Beuys FOND III (Joseph Beuys FONDO III), Galleria Schmela Düsseldorf
Installazione- Warmeplastik , con grasso, panni di feltro, lastra di metallo sotto tensione, registratore a nastro magnetico, Kunsthalle, Berna
Azione-Iphigenie/Titus Andronicus – Theater am Turm in Frankfurt, Experimenta 3
Zeichnungen 1946 bis 1967 (Disegni, dal 1946 al 1967) Kunstmuseum di Basilea
1968
Joseph Beuys, Zeichnungen, Fettplastiken (Disegni e Sculture di grasso)Wide White Space Gallery, Anversa.
Documenta 4 Kassel, Raumplastik(Scultura spaziale) Germania
Raum563 x 491 x 563. Fettecken und auseinandergerissene Luftpumpen (Spazio
563 x 491 x 563. Angoli di grasso e pompe d’aria dentro). La Künstlerhaus di Norimberga
Azione-Vakuum Masse, simultan Eisenkiste, halbiertes Kreuz Inhalt
100 Kg. Fett, 100 Luftpumpen (Massa Vuota, cassa di ghiaccio simultanea, croce divisa a metà, contenuto 100 kg di grasso, 100 pompe d’aria) Galleria Art Intermedia, Colonia
1967
Azione- Eurasienstab , 82min Fluxorum Organum (Bastone d’Eurasia 82 min Fluxorum Organum) galleria Nächst St. Stephan, Vienna
Haupstrom, (corrente principale) Galleria Franz Dahlem, Darmstadt
Parallelprozess I (Processo parallelo I) Städtisches Museum di Mönchengladbach
1966
Infiltration Homogen für Konzertflügel, der grösste Komponist der Gegenwart ist dasContergankind (Infiltrazione omogenea per pianoforte a coda, il compositore più grande è il bambino talidomide)Accademia di Düsseldorf
Azioni Filz TV (Feltro TV) e Teilung des Kreuzes / EURASIA
Und 34. Satz der sibirische Symphonie (Divisione della croce / EURASIA e il 34° movimento della sinfonia siberiana) Galleria 101, Copenhagen
EURASIA presso la Galleria RenéBlock, Berlino.
Mit Braunkreutz (Con la croce marrone). Galleria René Block Berlino
1965
Wie man einem toten Hasen Bilder erklärt, (come spiegare i quadri a una lepre morta) Galleria Schmela, Dusseldorf, Germania
Und in uns … unter uns … landunter, (e dentro di noi… tra di noi… sottoterra), Galleria Parnass, Wuppertal.
1964
Azioni-Kukei, Akopee- Nein!, Braunkreuz, Fettecken, Modellfettecken.,Technischen Hochschule, Aquisgrana.
Stuhl Mit Fett ,(sedia con grasso), Documenta 3 Kassel, Germania
Azione – I am a Transmitter, I Emit- Galleria René Block, Berlino
Azioni- Der Chef , Fluxus Gesang (Il capo. Canto Fluxus), Galleria René Block, Berlino
Azioni- Das Schweigen Marcel Duchamps wird überwertet ,(Il silenzio di Marcel Duchamp è sopravvalutato), Galleria René Block, Berlino
1963
Komposition für 2 Musikanten (Composizione per 2 musicisti), Sibirische Symphonie 1. Satz (Sinfonia Siberiana1° movimento). Festum Fluxorum Fluxus, Düsseldorf