Joseph Beuys
German artist and theorist of humanism, Fluxus, and performance art.
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Joseph Beuys was born in Krefeld, Germany, in 1921, and grew up in the industrial town of Kleve near the Dutch border. As a schoolboy, he developed skills in drawing and music, and took a strong interest in natural sciences, Nordic history, and mythology. In 1933, he claimed to have rescued a copy of Linnaeus’s *Systema Naturae* from a Nazi book-burning held in his school courtyard. He joined the Hitler Youth in 1936, an organization that already encompassed most German children, and attended the Nuremberg rally that year. After considering medical studies, he worked briefly at a circus before earning his Abitur in 1941.
Beuys volunteered for the Luftwaffe and trained as a radio operator under Heinz Sielmann in Posen, Poland, where he also attended biology lectures. He served as a rear-gunner in a Ju 87 Stuka, stationed in the Crimea and the eastern Adriatic. In March 1944, his plane crashed on the Crimean front. Beuys later fashioned a myth that nomadic Tatars rescued him, wrapping his broken body in animal fat and felt. Military records indicate he was recovered by a German search party and hospitalized for three weeks. This story became a powerful origin myth for his artistic identity, explaining his later use of fat and felt as materials.
After the war, Beuys taught at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1961 to 1972. He was a member of the Dada-influenced Fluxus movement and a pioneer of Performance Art, which in German he called *Kunst Aktionen*. His work consistently reflected humanist and sociological themes. He co-founded the Free International University for Creativity & Interdisciplinary Research, and through lectures and performances established The Party for Animals and The Organisation for Direct Democracy. A founding member of the German Green Party, he supported it throughout his life. Biographer Reinhard Ermen called Beuys the “ideal antagonist” of Andy Warhol.
- born
- 12 May 1921, Krefeld, Germany
- died
- 23 January 1986
- field
- Art, performance, teaching, art theory
- nationality
- German
- known_for
- Fluxus, Performance Art (Kunst Aktionen), Free International University, use of
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Beuys was born in Krefeld and raised in Kleve, where he developed skills in drawing, piano, and cello, and took an interest in natural sciences and Nordic history. In 1933, he claimed to have salvaged Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae from a Nazi book-burning in his school courtyard. He joined the Hitler Youth in 1936 and attended the Nuremberg rally that year. On 16 March 1944, his plane crashed in Crimea; Beuys later fashioned a myth that nomadic Tatar tribesmen rescued him, wrapping him in animal fat and felt, though records state he was recovered by a German search commando and hospitalized for three weeks. He was deployed to the Western Front in August 1944, received a gold Wound Badge, and was taken prisoner in Cuxhaven after Germany's surrender, released in August 1945. After the war, Beuys studied monumental sculpture at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, first under Joseph Enseling and then under Ewald Mataré, graduating in 1953. He was influenced by the anthroposophical philosophy of Rudolf Steiner and admired Joyce, Novalis, Schiller, Galileo, and Leonardo. He co-founded the Donnerstag-Gesellschaft (Thursday Group) in 1947 and assisted with nature documentaries. Beuys taught at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1961 to 1972. According to biographer Reinhard Ermen, he can be seen as the 'ideal antagonist' of Andy Warhol.
Reader's Guide
Joseph Beuys's significance lies in his expansion of art into social and political realms, using performance, dialogue, and unconventional materials like felt and fat—the latter drawn from his personal crash myth. As a Fluxus member and pioneer of Performance Art (Kunst Aktionen), he blurred boundaries between art and life, emphasizing humanism and sociology. His founding of the Free International University for Creativity & Interdisciplinary Research and organizations for direct democracy and animal rights reflected his belief in art as a transformative social force. Beuys's role as a founding member of the German Green Party further cemented his legacy as an artist-activist. His teaching at the Düsseldorf Academy influenced generations, and his mythologized biography—particularly the Tatar rescue story—became integral to his artistic identity. While some details of his life are disputed, his work continues to inspire interdisciplinary and participatory art practices.
Did You Know?
- Beuys claimed that as a 12-year-old in 1933, he salvaged Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae from a Nazi book-burning in his school courtyard.
- On 16 March 1944, his Ju 87 Stuka crashed in Crimea; he later mythologized that nomadic Tatars rescued him with animal fat and felt, though records show a German search commando recovered him.
- Beuys was a founding member and life-long supporter of the German Green Party.
- He co-founded the Donnerstag-Gesellschaft (Thursday Group) in 1947, which organized discussions, exhibitions, events, and concerts until 1950.
- Biographer Reinhard Ermen described Beuys as the 'ideal antagonist' of Andy Warhol.
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