 Fettbatterie (Fat Battery), 1963-84 Presented by EJ Power through the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1984 Joseph Beuys Actions, Vitrines, Environments Joseph Beuys (1921-86) was one of the most important German artists of the twentieth century. No ordinary sculptor, he was also a shaman, showman, teacher and tireless debater. Highly influential in shifting the emphasis from what an artist makes to his personality, activities and opinions, his expanded concept of art was communicated through a series of performances, and public discussions. Beuys's charismatic presence and his unconventional artistic style (incorporating ritualised movement and sound, and materials such as fat, felt, earth, honey, blood, and even dead animals) gained him international fame. "Joseph Beuys: Actions, Vitrines, Environments" focuses on three areas of Beuys' work which became increasingly central to his artistic output during the second half of his career. Through his performances or "Actions", Beuys encouraged audiences to incorporate his political and social messages into their everyday lives. The exhibition includes photographic and hand-written records from these momentous and transient events. Also included are a number of Beuys' vitrines, in which the artist used the display cases commonly found in museums to present objects which he considered to be socially significant. He regularly worked with felt, animal fat and wax believing them to be of universal relevance to the human struggle for survival. From the early 1970s, Beuys increasingly made larger scale, room-size installations or "environments" of which "The Pack" is a seminal example. Consisting of a VW van from which spill twenty-four sledges, each with a roll of felt, a lump of fat and a flashlight, this work explores the concept of human survival in the face of technological failure. Born into a Catholic family in northwestern Germany, the young Beuys pursued dual interests in the natural sciences and art. In 1940 he joined the air force as a combat pilot and radio operator. The process of coming to terms with his involvement in the war is a constant subtext in much of his work. After the war, Beuys enrolled in the Düsseldorf Academy of Art to study sculpture. He returned to the Academy in 1961 to take up a professorship. During the early 1960s, Beuys was associated with the avant-garde Fluxus group, whose public "concerts" blurred the boundaries between literature, music, visual art and everyday life. These ideas were a catalyst for Beuys's own performances, and his evolving concept of the artist as agitator for social change. In the 1970s he became increasingly active in politics, campaigning for educational reform, grassroots democracy and the Green Party. As his reputation grew, Beuys was invited to make ever-more ambitious projects, many of which resulted in large-scale installations. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to explore at first-hand the artistic output of this iconic figure whose radical vision changed the cultural landscape of the late twentieth century. Exhibition organised by the Menil Collection, Houston in collaboration with Tate Modern. Exhibition: 4 February - 2 May 2005 Opening hours: Sun-Thu 10am - 6pm, Fri/Sat 10am - 10pm Tate Modern Bankside UK-London, SE1 9TG Telephone +44 020 7887 8000 www.tate.org.uk |
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