Joseph Beuys: Make the Secrets Productive / PaceWildenstein, New York

During his lifetime he was controversial, but now the German performance and installation artist, sculptor, graphic artist, art theorist, pedagogue of art and politician Joseph Beuys is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His words “Every man is an artist” are cited again and again, not only by art art lovers.

Currently, PaceWildenstein in New York presents “Joseph Beuys: Make the Secrets Productive”, an exhibition of twelve sculptures, dating from the 1950s through the end of his career. Over 90 black and white photographs taken by Ute Klophaus, documenting eleven of the artist’s “Aktion” works, will be shown alongside four of these iconic happenings on film. The installation will also feature a separate screening room showcasing rare footage and interviews with Joseph Beuys.

In this video we have a look at this extraordinary exhibition and PaceWildenstein President Marc Glimcher and Director Birte Kleemann tell us how this show came about.

Among the works are Jeder Mensch ist ein Künstler (Make the Secrets Productive), a 1977 text-based sculpture painted on wood paneling with Braunkreuz, an earthy-looking substance Beuys created by combining household paint and hare’s blood. This important work of art indoctrinates each visitor with the Beuysian ideology that “every man is an artist” and its message is the anchor for the larger exhibition, which features a number of unique sculptures that have never before been presented in the United States. Among the sculptures are Feldbett (1982), OFEN (1983-85), Tisch mit Aggregat, Tisch 2 Pole, and Doppelaggregat. For more information visit PaceWildenstein’s website.

Joseph Beuys: Make the Secrets Productive at PaceWildenstein, 25th Street, New York, runs until April 10, 2010. A catalogue with essays by Heiner Bastian, Prof. Dr. Joachim Pissarro, Bershad Professor of Art History and Director of the Hunter College Galleries, and Prof. Dr. Eugen Blume, head of the Hamburg Bahnhof, Museum for Contemporary Art, Berlin, will accompany the exhibition. Currently, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, has dedicated one of its fourth floor galleries to an ongoing exhibition dedicated to Joseph Beuys. The focus of this installation centers on the museum’s recent acquisition of five vitrines created by the artist, with works dating from 1942 and 1982.

Joseph Beuys: Make the Secrets Productive / PaceWildenstein, New York. Private View, March 4, 2010.

PS: See also VernissageTV’s coverage of the exhibition mentioned in this segment, Joseph Beuys. We are the Revolution / Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin. Other Beuys related videos.

> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.

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