Joseph Beuys

Galerie Thomas, Munich
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Dusseldorf, Zollhof, Joseph Beuys: Zeichnungen - Skulpturen - Objekte, 1988, n.p., no. 54, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the red towards the right edge tends more towards brick in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. The sheet is hinged verso to the mount in the upper two corners. The upper, lower and right edges are slightly deckled, and there is a vertical folding crease in the center of the sheet which is original. Very close inspection reveals a few more creases and media accretions in isolated places, all of which are inherent to the artist's choice of found materials.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Joseph Beuys: Experiments on Paper

As one of the most important and influential post-war artists, by many considered a foundational teacher for the work of Germany’s leading contemporary artists, Joseph Beuys is a truly seminal figure in recent European art. Having redefined not only what the very concept of art could be as a member of the Fluxus group in the 1960s, but also what the function of an artist is within society as a whole, the legacy of Joseph Beuys echoes throughout the corridors of art history.

Within the artist’s celebrated oeuvre, drawings play a crucially important role. Working mainly in sculpture, performance and installations, Beuys’ drawings are the closest thing to paintings, and often precede his work in other mediums, thus acting as genealogical traces of his radical ideas about art and life. As the artist explained: “My thinking on drawing as a special form of materialized thought is this: they are the beginning of changing the material condition of the world, through sculpture, architecture, mechanics, or engineering, for instance, where drawing ends not only with the traditional artist’s concept” (Joseph Beuys quoted in Bernice Rose: ‘Thinking is Form: The Drawings of Joseph Beuys’, MoMA, no. 13, Winter 1993, p. 16-23).

The present group of six works on paper forms a truly outstanding overview of Beuys’ early experiments with drawing, as demonstrated by the fact that very comparable works are held in the permanent collection of the Tate Modern and other prestigious institutions. Included are a work on a found map of Paris, a colourful watercolour, a typical drawing with elaborate written instructions titled Notes for Action, and Beuys’ signature use of a red-brown oil paint named Braunkreuz by the artist. In these different mediums and styles, the group perfectly captures the spirit of Beuys’ early work, most of the works having been made during his formative period between graduating from the Dusseldorf Academy in 1951 and his first solo exhibition in 1961. As Anne Seymour explains, “Although the appearance of a drawing is not of first importance to Beuys, its colour or substance are likely to have some sort of relationship with its subject or meaning. Beuys uses materials in drawing very much as substance, and in ways comparable to how he would use them on a much larger three-dimensional scale” (Anne Seymour in Exhibition Catalogue, Leeds, City Art Galleries, Joseph Beuys Drawings, 1983, p. 20).

This exciting group of six works on paper therefore perfectly captures the early experimentations of one of the most influential post-war artists, and gives a great insight into Joseph Beuys’ wider oeuvre.