beuys 2021

What do our thoughts, our feelings and desires have to do with sculpture? Is art the only revolutionary force? Is the future a category of art? Are these even the questions we need to be asking? 100 years after the birth of Joseph Beuys, one of the most significant twentieth-century artists, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is rearticulating these questions so fundamental to both his art and thought. This publication provides an overview of the extensive program of “beuys 2021. 100 years of joseph beuys”—including exhibitions, lectures and performances—and examines what it is that makes this artist so controversial and still so very topical. It explores his complex œuvre, pays homage to his international impact and rediscovers the revolutionary potential of his thought. Bringing together many voices, this book is conceived as an imaginary conversation with the artist. A wide range of contributors from many different spheres, generations and cultures enter into a richly associative dialogue with his aphorisms. Together they explore the genesis and viability of Beuys’ vision of a future based on the principles of art.