Joseph Beuys

Studio of the artist

Alfred Greisinger Collection, Augsburg (acquired directly from the artist)

Private Collection, Munich (acquired from the above circa 1984)

Acquired in 2024 by the present owner

Jörg Schellmann, Joseph Beuys. Die Multiples, Munich 1992, no. 26, pp. 64–65, illustrated

Munich, A11 Artforum, Joseph Beuys – a private collection, February - April 1990, p. 118, illustrated

• Felt Suit (1970) was produced in an edition of 100, emphasizing Beuys’ core belief in making art more commercially accessible
• Link to Beuys’ personal mythology and biographical background
• The symbolic use of materials underscores Beuys' conceptual depth

Joseph Beuys’ Filzanzug (Felt Suit) stands as a defining object within the artist’s broader practice of expanding the boundaries of sculpture. Created in 1970 in an edition of 100, the work merges the symbolic material language of Beuys’ mythology with his social aims. Industrial felt, a recurring element in Beuys’ visual lexicon, alludes to healing and protection, concepts central to his effort to rethink the role of art in society.

Beuys remains one of the most influential artists and teachers in post-war Germany. His beliefs about the transformative power of art shaped an entire generation. Felt Suit, like many of his multiples, reflects Beuys’ commitment to the democratization of art. The format of the multiple, which gained prominence in the 1960s, was intentionally provocative and confrontational. It challenged the elitist tradition of unique artworks by offering editions that were affordable and accessible. Through this, Beuys sought to foster broader engagement with his artistic ideas while confronting the notion of exclusivity in the art world.

At the core of Felt Suit lies Beuys’ radical belief that society itself could be shaped through creative thought. The work’s powerful presence distills many of his core principles: the potential of everyday materials, the merging of biography and myth, and the activation of art as a social tool.

In addition to its conceptual meaning, Felt Suit carries a deeply personal narrative. Beuys wove his own life into his art, often through a legendary, though possibly apocryphal, story from World War II. According to the artist, he was shot down in a plane, rescued by nomadic Tartars, and revived with layers of fat and felt. He recalled:

“Had it not been for the Tartars I would not be alive today. They were the nomads of the Crimea, in what was then no man’s land between the Russian and German fronts, and favored neither side. …It was they who discovered me in the snow after the crash, when the German search parties had given up. I was still unconscious then and only came round completely after twelve days or so, and by then I was back in a German field hospital. So the memories I have of that time are images that penetrated my consciousness… I remember voices saying ‘Voda’ [Water], then the felt of their tents, and the dense pungent smell of cheese, fat and milk. They covered my body in fat to help it regenerate warmth, and wrapped it in felt as an insulator to keep warmth in.”

(Exh. Cat., New York, Salomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Joseph Beuys, 1979, pp. 16-17)

Whether this tale is historically accurate or self-constructed, it serves as a key to understanding Beuys’ symbolic use of materials. Felt becomes more than a medium; it becomes a metaphor for insulation, both physical and psychological. Above all, Felt Suit can be regarded as a sculptural object.

Beuys deliberately chose an everyday garment to serve as a vessel for transformation, investing it with layered meaning. Though rarely intended to be worn, he encouraged the suit’s display in various configurations, hung, nailed, or mounted, underscoring its fluid identity between object, idea, and artwork.