Modern & Contemporary Artists Codexery

Joseph Beuys

German artist and theorist of humanism, Fluxus, and performance art.

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Joseph Beuys

via Wikipedia: Joseph Beuys · see source

He was born in Krefeld, Germany, on 12 May 1921 to a merchant father and mother.[1] Beuys died on 23 January 1986.[2]

Life and work

In 1936, Beuys was a member of the Hitler Youth and participated in the Nuremberg rally.[3] He volunteered for the Luftwaffe in 1941 and began training as an aircraft radio operator.[4] In 1944, his plane crashed on the Crimean Front, and Beuys later fashioned a myth about being rescued by nomadic Tatar tribesmen.[5] He was dismissed from his post in 1972 after conflict with academy authorities over his teaching policy.[6]

During his school years, Beuys acquired drawing abilities and studied both piano and cello.[1] The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf appointed Beuys as a professor of monumental sculpture in 1961.[7]

What the cited sources add

The Henry Moore Institute notes that Beuys's students developed their own individual artistic identities independently of his work.[6] Beuys deliberately kept a low profile regarding his own artistic work from his students.[6] The "La scultura sociale di Beuys" account states that Beuys was interested in science and technology from a young age.[8] That source also notes his works use symbolic elements like deer, bears, reindeer, swans, and hares.[8]

The Art Story account describes Beuys as associated with the Conceptual art and Fluxus movements.[9] That account states Beuys's work ranges from traditional media to process-oriented "action" art.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Joseph Beuys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adriani, Götz, Winfried Konnertz, and Karin Thomas (1979) Joseph Beuys: Life and Works. Trans. Patricia Lech. Woodbury, N.Y.: Barron's Educational Series. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Joseph Beuys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Watlington, "Joseph Beuys Might Be the 20th Century’s Most Influential Artist—but We Have Him All Wrong.", Artnews.com, 17 March 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Joseph Beuys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schmuckli, Claudia (2005) "Chronology and Selected Exhibition History" in Joseph Beuys: Actions, Vitrines, Environments. Tate. p.188. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Joseph Beuys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Joseph Beuys"; The implications are ambiguous. Germany had been at war since September 1939, military service was mandatory, and volunteering was one way to influence deployme (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Joseph Beuys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adriani, Götz, Winfried Konnertz, and Karin Thomas (1979) Joseph Beuys: Life and Works. Trans. Patricia Lech. Woodbury, N.Y.: Barron's Educational Series.; Pasik, Yakov (19 April 2006). Еврейские поселения в Крыму (1922–1926). ucoz.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "Henry Moore Institute". facts only, no text reused. web.archive.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Joseph Beuys" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Joseph Beuys Might Be the 20th Century’s Most Influential Artist—but We Have Him All Wrong. What can we learn from his failed utopianism and troubling contradic (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "La scultura sociale di Beuys". facts only, no text reused. muspac.com
  9. "Joseph Beuys". facts only, no text reused. theartstory.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Joseph Beuys (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year did Joseph Beuys die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1986.

From the source: “Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( ; ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism and sociology. With Heinrich Böll, Johannes Stüttgen, Caroline Tisdall, ”

2. In which place was Joseph Beuys born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Krefeld, Germany.

From the source: “Joseph Beuys was born in Krefeld, Germany, on 12 May 1921, to Josef Jakob Beuys (1888–1958), a merchant, and Johanna Maria Margarete Beuys née Hülsermann (1889–1974).”

3. In what year was Joseph Beuys born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1921.

From the source: “Joseph Beuys was born in Krefeld, Germany, on 12 May 1921, to Josef Jakob Beuys (1888–1958), a merchant, and Johanna Maria Margarete Beuys née Hülsermann (1889–1974).”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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