Joseph Beuys

Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London
Gift of the above to the present owner in 1991

London, Anthony d'Offay Gallery, Beuys, Klein, Rothko: Transformation and Prophecy, June - July 1987, cat. no. 8, p. 45, illustrated in color

Germano Celant, Beuys Tracce in Italia, Naples 1978, pl. 162, p. 159, illustrated 

This work is in very good condition overall. The work is hinged on the reverse to the backing board in multiple locations. The edges of the work are irregularly cut and there are some minor surface irregularities noted, due to the artist's choice of materials and working method. Under Ultraviolet inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Influenced by the writing of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich Schiller, it takes as its basis the self-determination of man. But where he reassessed the idealist assumptions underpinning his concept of art, Beuys was convinced that the Ego is, in its behavior toward itself, able to lock into that need for freedom which is also at the source of human creativity within the social and political body. By returning into itself, the Ego is able to experience its free independent activity (Selbsttätigkeit) as a creative/formative occurrence and is then willfully able to undertake such activity as the process of shaping the life-world. The return into the Ego, Beuys believed, initially ensured that the 'perceptual field' was turned 'inward' and thus empowers the Ego to experience 'its own free independent activity consciously.' The expansion of the perceptual field inwards enabled the Ego to cross a 'threshold of freedom' and in doing so recognized 'the connection between inner and outer worlds'...'" 

Max Reithmann, "In the Rubblefield of German History: Questions for Joseph Beuys," in Gene Ray, Ed., Joseph Beuys: Mapping the Legacy, New York 2001, p. 139