Beuys100
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From April to October 2021 the Goethe-Institut Cyprus celebrated Beuys' 100th birthday with an event series curated by Marina Christodoulidou, consisting of a workshop for artists, an exhibition, film screenings and a discussion with Rhea Thönges-Stringaris, art historian and friend of Beuys.

Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was a German Fluxus, happening, and performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist, and pedagogue. His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social sculpture as a Gesamtkunstwerk, for which he claimed a creative, participatory role in shaping society and politics. His career was characterized by open public debates on a very wide range of subjects including political, environmental, social and long-term cultural trends.

Events

Podcast: "The Earth is speaking"

One of the central cooperation projects between the beuys2021 team and the Goethe-Institut is the podcast "The Earth is Speaking". In a critical analysis, different perspectives from Germany and abroad shed light on the relevance of Beuys today, his work and his impact on artists worldwide.

Beuys2021 © Beuys2021 © Beuys2021

Video series

International artists deal with the heritage of Joseph Beuys.

#aboutbeuys

Armin Mühsam

“Marcel Duchamp's silence is overrated”. Beuys wrote this sentence on a sheet of paper during a live television broadcast in 1964. The action was part of a Fluxus performance and referred to the Fluxus artists' debate on ''Duchamp's concept of art''. In his video, Armin Mühsam contrasts the legacy of the two artists.
 

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Lê Giang

The Vietnamese artist Lê Giang sees in Beuys' work an inspiration for life after the pandemic and an urgent reminder to change ourselves to make the world a better place.

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Asbestos

The Irish street artist Asbestos first saw Beuys' black panels in Dublin. Since then, he has been fascinated by the idea of taking ordinary materials from the city and creating works of art.

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More about Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys

“Beuys wanted democracy to be effective”

Joseph Beuys’ art was often political, as was the artist himself. What exactly was his stance though? Beuys co-founded the Green Party, but also met up with former Nazi comrades. Above all, he was a pragmatist, according to Bettina Paust, head of the city of Wuppertal’s cultural office and author of a new handbook on Beuys’ work.

Joseph Beuys (left, with felt hat) at the 1980 Green Party convention in Dortmund. Photo (detail): © picture-alliance / Sven Simon Photo (detail): © picture-alliance / Sven Simon

Joseph Beuys and the Will to Act

What if chopping down a tree were tantamount to murder?

Joseph Beuys was a multi-faceted artist whose ideas still have an impact today. We talked to a Beuys expert, Eugen Blume, about the artist’s interventions to promote the environmental movement and show us humans that every one of us can take action. 

7000 Oaks – City Forestation Instead of City Administration: Dennhäuser Strasse, a social sculpture by Joseph Beuys, presented in 1982 at the documenta 7 in Kassel Photo (detail): Baummapper (CC-BY-SA-3.0) Photo (detail): Baummapper (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

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.

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

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.

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 Photo (detail): © picture alliance/dpa/Bernd Müller

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