Claim Goethe Institut Claim Goethe Institut

Bangladesh

100 Jahre Joseph Beuys

A graffiti painting by the Düsseldorf artist Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) with the slogan "Anyone who doesn't want to think flies out" adorns a house wall in Düsseldorf (North Rhine-Westphalia). Photo (detail): Horst Ossinger; © dpa

Action artist, activist, sculptor, draughtsman and professor at the Düsseldorf Art Academy: Joseph Beuys would have turned 100 in 2021. His ideas, works and political commitment had a significant impact on the art landscape of the post-war period. His approach of social sculpture influenced the art world and society. The statement: “Everyone is an artist” is more relevant than ever.

Never without a hat: Joseph Beuys at the documenta 7 in Kassel, 1982. Photo (detail): © picture-alliance / akg-images / Niklaus Stauss

Joseph Beuys
Fat, felt and legends

In May 2021, Germany is celebrating a special art centenary on what would have been legendary artist Joseph Beuys’ 100th birthday. We look at what made the provocative lateral thinker tick.
Joseph Beuys pushed boundaries – as here at a 1972 protest against his own art academy – and influenced the generations of artists that followed. Photo (detail): © picture alliance/dpa/Bernd Müller

The art of Joseph Beuys
 Shaping society like a sculpture

Joseph Beuys was a draftsman, sculptor, performance and installation artist, teacher, politician, and activist – and one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His art continues to have an impact today.
Book covers © Hatje Cantz, C.H. Beck, Prestel

Books on Beuys' 100th birthday
 Beuys days

​12 May 2021 would have been the 100th birthday of the action artist Joseph Beuys, who died in 1986. This year several books about the charismatic man will be published to mark the occasion.

Video series: #aboutbeuys

International artists deal with the heritage of Joseph Beuys.

Screenshot © Fondacion Klemm

#aboutbeuys
 Fondacion Klemm

The Czech-Argentine artist Federico Klemm (1942-2002) was an admirer of Beuys. Art critic Julio Sánchez and artist Pablo Marchetti talk about Klemm and his fascination with Beuys and felt suits.

Screenshot © Viktória Monhor

#aboutbeuys
 Viktória Monhor

A tree and a poster that says it: A very important message that is of interest to everyone. Hungarian artist Viktória Monhor shows that less is more.

Screenshot © Yacine Tilala

#aboutbeuys
 Yacine Tilala

The American artist with Senegalese and Mauritanian roots Yacine Tilala takes inspiration from a Joseph Beuys interview in her video and creates her own work of art. The body is at the centre of it.

Screenshot © Ance Vilnite

#aboutbeuys
 Ance Vilnite

In Beuys' eyes, the community itself is the material and every individual is an artist. In her video, Latvian artist Ance Vilnite refers to the concept of social sculpture and sees in every action a chance to shape it. 

Screenshot © Kristof Kintera

#aboutbeuys
 Kristof Kintera

There can be no art without Beuys – says Czech artist Kristof Kintera, describing Beuys as an icon and mystic whose artistic perspective can lead us out of a poorly functioning society.

Screenshot © Marzia Farhana

#aboutbeuys
 Marzia Farhana

To change society, it is important to ensure free education, free information and free participation. The artist Marzia Farhana from Bangladesh tells how she implements Joseph Beuys' Expanded Concept of Art in her projects.

Screenshot © Luchezar Boyadjiev

#aboutbeuys
 Luchezar Boyadjiev

How can a personal or a collective trauma be overcome? The Bulgarian artist Luchezar Boyadjiev explains how his work seeks to heal society through reconciliation.

Screenshot © Robert Svarc

#aboutbeuys
 Robert Svarc

Beuys is still alive and his work is a preparation for the complex, irritating 21st century - says the Slovak artist Robert Svarc and presents his thoughts on Beuys’ legacy.

Screenshot © Susanne Kriemann

#aboutbeuys
 Susanne Kriemann

Is a museum allowed to change the meaning of a deceased artist’s works? German artist Susanne Kriemann tells how an exhibition by Beuys shaped her understanding of art.

Screenshot © Zaki Al-Maboren

#aboutbeuys
 Zaki Al-Maboren

Have you ever been to Kassel? The German-Sudanese artist Zaki Al-Maboren reflects on Beuys’ artwork "7,000 Oaks", which was part of the art exhibition documenta 7.

Screenshot © Kalas Liebfried

#aboutbeuys
 Kalas Liebfried

Compared to other post-war artists, Beuys is still relevant. The Bulgarian artist Kalas Liebfried deals with Beuys’ artistic legacy in his works.

Goethe-Institut projects worldwide

Beuys will be Beuys © Eugen Korda

Slovakia
 Beuys will be Beuys

Joseph Beuys is a special chapter in art history, and in 2021 we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most influential and controversial artists of the 20th century. Who was and who is Beuys today?
Joseph Beuys © Courtesy Video Data Bank of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

USA
 100 Years of Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys would have turned 100 in 2021. In celebration, we’ve gathered events on Beuys from our colleagues and partners in the region — and included some 2021 perspectives on the artist’s work.
100 Years Joseph Beuys © Mimmo Jodice and the CODA Museum, CC BY 3.0, Detail and Sepia

Tokyo
 100 Years Joseph Beuys

On the occasion of the 100th birthday and 35th anniversary of the death of Joseph Beuys, the Goethe-Institut Tokyo is exploring the question in events and projects: What is the significance of the artist's work and agenda today?
Top