Joseph Beuys - Fussbodenzeichnung Herzogstrasse 79 - Print - 40 x 40 cm - 1980s

Artist: Joseph Beuys
Title: Aktion Fussbodenzeichnung Herzogstrasse

Technique: offset print, printed signature (not hand-signed)

pristine condition, well preserved, minimal light edge

Overall size: 40 x 30 cm
Publisher: Edition 5
Origin: directly from the publisher

Joseph Beuys:
Joseph Beuys, born 12 May 1921 in Krefeld, Germany, and died 23 January 1986 in Düsseldorf, was one of the most influential and controversial artists of the 20th century. Beuys was not only a sculptor, draftsman and action artist, but also an art theorist and political activist. His work and ideas have had a lasting impact on the art world and led to an expansion of the notion of art, as he understood art as a social sculpture – a concept that views life and society as creatable and alterable works of art.

Beuys' artistic career began after World War II, in which he served as a soldier and was severely wounded. These traumatic experiences profoundly shaped his life and work. His symbolically charged, often mystically inclined art drew on personal experiences, myths and connections to nature, bearing parallels to the works of artists such as Anselm Kiefer, who likewise engages with topics of German history, myths and collective memory. Both artists share an interest in confronting the German past and the role of the artist in society.

A central element of Beuys' work is the idea of the “social sculpture,” which posits that every person can contribute to shaping society through creative action. This view aligns him with artists like Marcel Duchamp, whose Readymade concept revolutionized the art world by stating that the artistic act itself determines the status of an object as art. Beuys expanded this idea and posited that everyone is an artist and that creative actions can take place in all areas of life. This expansion of the concept of art is also reflected in the participatory works of Allan Kaprow, who involved the viewer actively in the artwork with his “Happenings.”

Beuys was known for his symbol-laden materials such as felt, fat and copper, which played a central role in his installations and performances. These materials often held personal and spiritual significance for him, similar to Yves Klein, who established a central expressive medium with his “International Klein Blue.” Beuys' famous action “How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare” (1965), in which he moved through a gallery with a face smeared with honey and a dead hare, is an example of his symbolically charged performances that are both poetic and enigmatic.

His political engagement and his activities in the environmental movement, including the founding of the Green Party in Germany, show how Beuys blurred the boundaries between art and life. His action “7000 Eichen” (1982) at Documenta 7 in Kassel, in which he planted 7000 oak trees, exemplifies his view of art as direct, life-changing action. This action is closely linked to the works of artists like Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who also integrated monumental-scale artworks into the environment and involved the public in the creation process.

In summary, Joseph Beuys remains one of the most formative figures in modern art, whose works and theories fundamentally altered the role of the artist and the understanding of art. Through his concepts of “social sculpture” and the expanded notion of art, he laid a foundation for numerous subsequent generations of artists who continually redefine the boundaries between art and life, between creativity and social action. His influence is felt in contemporary art to this day and sets benchmarks for the connection between art, society and politics.

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