Joseph Beuys – The controversial figure with the expanded concept of art

Joseph Beuys is still not understood by many of today's critics, but he is undoubtedly one of the most important artists of the 20th century.

The performance artist, sculptor, draftsman, and art theorist redefined the concept of art by engaging with humanism and social philosophy, anthroposophy, and politics in his work. Beuys thus developed an "expanded concept of art" that demands creative participation from the artist in society and politics.

Even though opinions on the value of his artworks vary considerably, with this postulate he fulfills in an ideal-typical way a popular idea of ​​the artist who acts with interest and commitment and does not ask for material wealth.

His concept of art introduced to art through school lessons and through his personal acquaintance with the Flemish painter

Moortgat also awakened in the young Joseph an enthusiasm for Norse mythology, the youthful misinterpretation of which first led him to the Hitler Youth and then, in 1941, to volunteer for the Luftwaffe. There, he even earned the Iron Cross for his military service.

During one of his five plane crashes in the war, Beuys suffered serious injuries and survived only because Crimean Tatars kept him from freezing to death with fat rubs and felt blankets until he received medical attention.

This explains the role that felt and fat later played in his art. Such experiences also quickly turned Beuys's never-absolute commitment to the military and party politics into a thing of the past, given his strict Catholic upbringing.

After his release from captivity, he finally decided to become an artist. He enrolled at the Düsseldorf Art Academy to study sculpture, joined the "Kleve Artists' Association," and in 1951 became a master student of the renowned Ewald Mataré.

During his time in the military, the nature-loving Beuys learned even more about zoology and botany from his instructor Heinz Sielmann; during his studies, he explored the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy.

Steiner's teachings, which place man at the center and aim to open access to supersensible potentials, were to decisively influence Beuys' path; they showed him the way to a mystical worldview.

Thus, after graduating in 1953, Beuys increasingly distanced himself from classical sculpture, struggling with his art and at times falling into deep depressions. When the Düsseldorf Art Academy appointed Beuys to the chair of monumental sculpture in 1961, he had already developed his expanded concept of art, invented "Social Sculpture," and caused a sensation with the statement that "every human being is an artist."

In the early 1970s, Beuys began to completely break away from the rules of academic life. He accepted students without regard to the admission criteria and was therefore dismissed from the art academy in 1972.

Beuys' work, which by this time consisted of installations and objects made from the most unusual materials, as well as paintings and drawings, achieved international recognition during this period, and he became one of the most expensive artists in the world. His concept of art largely met with incomprehension, sometimes even strong rejection, from the public; every public acquisition of his works sparked major debates.

Numerous scandals and minor scandals marked his further work: in 1973, two local politicians unknowingly destroyed his work “untitled (bathtub)” when they cleaned the supposedly dirty sanitary object and then used it to wash glasses.

Lenbachhaus 's purchase of an object made of mortuary stretchers and fat, paid for 270,000 DM, was described as a "waste of taxpayers' money," and the object as the "most expensive piece of junk of all time."

"Fat Corner", which had just become famous through this event, as art and simply cleaned the artwork away.

Since then, art lovers have grappled with the concept of art as an idea, and even decades after his death, Beuys remains controversial in the art world. And yet, Beuys's understanding of art has influenced many subsequent artists.

The repeated scandals surrounding his artworks have also contributed, almost unnoticed but crucially, to anchoring the idea of ​​art as a society-shaping force in people's minds.