Joseph Beuys

Krefeld 1921 - 1986 Düsseldorf

Artist info

Joseph Beuys was the central figure of the German art world in the 1960s and 1970s. His ability to fuse his artistic endeavours with political practice was unrivalled. Beuys strove for a reunion of nature and spirit in art and, at the same time, for a holistic process of perception of the viewer, by integrating everyday objects not usually associated with art into his artistic language. This made him a trailblazer for generations of artists in Europe and the USA. The Guggenheim Museum in New York honoured him with a solo exhibition in 1979, this being the first exhibition of a German artist at the museum. Since 1964 he was represented at the documenta in Kassel five times. Among others he received the Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Prize of the City of Duisburg and the Goslar Award for Modern Art (Kaiserring).

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Exhibition - Highlight

In 2013, Galerie Thomas Modern presented an extensive Joseph Beuys exhibition at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, containing over 100 works spanning his entire oeuvre.

The show, which opened at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói in Rio de Janeiro, was conceived as a cooperation between the Instituto Plano Cultural and Galerie Thomas Modern. After Rio de Janeiro, the exhibition traveled to the capital Brasilia, the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, and lastly back to Brazil, Recife.

Video

Galerie Thomas on the Road: JOSEPH BEUYS•Res-pública: convocation for a global alternative

Joseph Beuys at Galerie Thomas

As early as 1971 Galerie Thomas showed a Beuys solo exhibition and the opening show of Galerie Thomas Modern in autumn 2009 was dedicated to the three artists 'Beuys – Kiefer – Twombly'.

Galerie Thomas Modern was co-organizer of the successful travelling exhibition, which in 2013 presented a cross section of Joseph Beuys‘ oeuvre to an enthusiastic audience in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, at the Museu de Arte Moderna Aloisio Magalhães, Recife and the Museu Nacional in Brasilia, Brasilien, as well as the Fundacio Proa in Buenos Aires.

In 2016, in the acclaimed exhibition 'Joseph Beuys – Nam June Paik' placed the emphasis on the friendship and collaboration of the two Fluxus artists.

The gallery's inventory regularly includes unique works, multiples, and prints by Joseph Beuys.

Fun Fact

When Beuys carried out one of his performances, the audience had to be prepared for everything. Unforgettable, for instance, was his performance 'How to explain pictures to a dead hare' in which Beuys- his head covered in gold leaf - treated a dead rabbit like a doll. Even the black & white films that document this performance are still immensely disturbing.

What is less known, however, is that Beuys is said to have prepared the animals from his performances himself afterwards. He was apparently a pretty good chef.