Presentation

Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German Fluxus, happening and performance artist as well as a sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.

Joseph Beuys was born in Krefeld in 1921. From an early age, Beuys displayed a keen interest in the natural sciences and had considered a career in medical studies before volunteering for the Luftwaffe in 1940. On 16 March 1944 Beuys's JU87 plane crashed on the Crimean Front and Beuys later recounted how he had been rescued from the crash by Tartar tribesmen, who had wrapped his broken body in animal fat and felt and nursed him back to health.

Through his drawing practice, Joseph Beuys explored a range of unconventional materials and developed his artistic agenda, exploring metaphorical and symbolic connections between natural phenomena and philosophical systems. In 1962 Beuys befriended his Düsseldorf colleague Nam June Paik, a member of the Fluxus movement.

It was during the 1960s that Beuys formulated his central theoretical concepts concerning the social, cultural, and political function and potential of art. This translated into Beuys's formulation of the concept of Social Sculpture, in which society as a whole was to be regarded as one great work of art (the Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk) to which each person can contribute creatively. Beuys founded (or co-founded) the following political organizations: German Student Party (1967), Organization for Direct Democracy Through Referendum (1971), and Free International University for Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research (1974).

Beuys became a pacifist, was a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, and campaigned strenuously for environmental causes. He died in January 1986 in Düsseldorf.


Read more
All artworks of Joseph Beuys
Print, Ein-Stein-Zeit, Joseph Beuys

Ein-Stein-Zeit

Joseph Beuys

Print - 11.2 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

$3,396

Print, Zirkulationszeit: Meerengel Robbe II , Joseph Beuys

Zirkulationszeit: Meerengel Robbe II

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,264

Print, Schwurhand: Wandernde , Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Wandernde

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,491

Print, Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #3, Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #3

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,491

Print, Tränen: Schamanentrommel , Joseph Beuys

Tränen: Schamanentrommel

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$3,623

Print, Zirkulationszeit: Meerengel Robbe I, Joseph Beuys

Zirkulationszeit: Meerengel Robbe I

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,264

Print, Schwurhand: Mit Fett gefüllte Skulptur , Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Mit Fett gefüllte Skulptur

Joseph Beuys

Print - 12.6 x 9.8 inch

$2,830

Print, Schwurhand: Lumen, Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Lumen

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,491

Print, Schwurhand: Skulptur aus Gold, Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Skulptur aus Gold

Joseph Beuys

Print - 12.2 x 9.4 inch

$2,830

Print, Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #1 , Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #1

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,491

Print, Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #5, Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #5

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,491

Print, Tränen: Hirschfuß, Joseph Beuys

Tränen: Hirschfuß

Joseph Beuys

Print - 16.9 x 12.6 inch

$2,717

Print, Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #2 , Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Wandernde Kiste #2

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$2,491

Print, Aus dem Leben der Bienen , Joseph Beuys

Aus dem Leben der Bienen

Joseph Beuys

Print - 22 x 29.9 inch

$3,736

Print, Zirkulationszeit: Kopf H.B. , Joseph Beuys

Zirkulationszeit: Kopf H.B.

Joseph Beuys

Print - 17.7 x 13 inch

$2,830

Print, Tränen: Intelligenz der Schwäne, Joseph Beuys

Tränen: Intelligenz der Schwäne

Joseph Beuys

Print - 22.4 x 17.7 inch

$3,623

Print, Schwurhand: Zelt und Lichtstrahl , Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Zelt und Lichtstrahl

Joseph Beuys

Print - 12.6 x 9.4 inch

$2,830

Print, Schwurhand: Foetus, Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Foetus

Joseph Beuys

Print - 22 x 17.7 inch

$2,830

Print, Zirkulationszeit: Die Mütter , Joseph Beuys

Zirkulationszeit: Die Mütter

Joseph Beuys

Print - 22 x 17.7 inch

$2,491

Print, Zirkulationszeit: Die Mütter , Joseph Beuys

Zirkulationszeit: Die Mütter

Joseph Beuys

Print - 15 x 11 inch

$3,962

Print, Tränen: Hirschschädel , Joseph Beuys

Tränen: Hirschschädel

Joseph Beuys

Print - 16.9 x 12.6 inch

$2,943

Print, Schwurhand: Frau rennt weg mit Gehirn , Joseph Beuys

Schwurhand: Frau rennt weg mit Gehirn

Joseph Beuys

Print - 19.7 x 16.9 inch

$2,151

Print, Tränen: Frauentorso , Joseph Beuys

Tränen: Frauentorso

Joseph Beuys

Print - 17.7 x 22.4 inch

$2,830

Discover our selections of works by artists

Need help finding your favorite? Consult our selection pages made for you.
Need to know more?

Who is the artist?

Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German Fluxus, happening and performance artist as well as a sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.

Joseph Beuys was born in Krefeld in 1921. From an early age, Beuys displayed a keen interest in the natural sciences and had considered a career in medical studies before volunteering for the Luftwaffe in 1940. On 16 March 1944 Beuys's JU87 plane crashed on the Crimean Front and Beuys later recounted how he had been rescued from the crash by Tartar tribesmen, who had wrapped his broken body in animal fat and felt and nursed him back to health.

Through his drawing practice, Joseph Beuys explored a range of unconventional materials and developed his artistic agenda, exploring metaphorical and symbolic connections between natural phenomena and philosophical systems. In 1962 Beuys befriended his Düsseldorf colleague Nam June Paik, a member of the Fluxus movement.

It was during the 1960s that Beuys formulated his central theoretical concepts concerning the social, cultural, and political function and potential of art. This translated into Beuys's formulation of the concept of Social Sculpture, in which society as a whole was to be regarded as one great work of art (the Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk) to which each person can contribute creatively. Beuys founded (or co-founded) the following political organizations: German Student Party (1967), Organization for Direct Democracy Through Referendum (1971), and Free International University for Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research (1974).

Beuys became a pacifist, was a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, and campaigned strenuously for environmental causes. He died in January 1986 in Düsseldorf.

What is Joseph Beuys’s artistic movement?

The artistic movements of the artists are: Performing Artists, Inspired by Cave Painting, Neo-Dada, Post-War Art , Fluxus

When was Joseph Beuys born?

The year of birth of the artist is: 1921