Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys was a pivotal figure in the arts of the post-war period. A teacher, artist and activist, he was also a founding member of the Dadaist Fluxus movement of the 1960s.The movement—characterised by a disillusionment with object-based artworks—heavily shaped his practice which focused on transient installations incorporating found or everyday objects. Central to Beuys’ approach to art was humanist thought and sociology which he also integrated into his teaching practice. He was a member of the Akademie der Kunst, Berlin and of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm after a previous controversial dismissal from the Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.

Apart from representing Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1976 and 1980, a retrospective of his work was held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York (1979). Further major shows have been held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (1993), The Royal Academy of Arts, London (1999) and the Tate Modern, London (2005).