ARTIST ROOMS – Joseph Beuys
ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate
Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate
Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
This exhibition brings together a range of work in different media from the extensive holdings of Joseph Beuys in the ARTIST ROOMS collection.
Installed in a dedicated space in the National Museum of Art’s newly opened galleries for modern and contemporary art, the exhibition makes powerful connections with adjacent displays from Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’ own outstanding collection of post-1950 art.
In particular, it reveals Beuys’ longstanding interest in the survival of the Celtic spirit in northern Europe.
Reference is made to Beuys’ contribution to the exhibition, 'How the Past Perishes – How the Future Becomes', organised by Caroline Tisdall for the Wrexham Eisteddfod in 1977.
The artist saw the Wrexham event as an extension of his seminal installation Honeypump at Documenta 6. Beuys’ interest in the Celtic, and its particular relevance to audiences in Wales, is explored in accompanying event and schools programme.
The ARTIST ROOMS collection is an important collection of international contemporary art that explores the most influential artists of the twentieth century.
4 November, 1.05pm An introduction to the exhibition with Nick Thornton, Head of Modern and Contemporary Art. Booking required on arrival.
Joseph Beuys (1921 - 1986)
Joseph Beuys is considered one of the most influential figures in modern and contemporary art.
His charismatic presence and unconventional style gained him international fame and notoriety in the 1960s but his innovative influence is still felt today.
Adopting the roles of political and social activist and educator, his philosophy proposed the healing power and social function of art for all.
Beuys produced a vast body of work that includes performance, drawing, print-making, sculpture and installation.
His complex, interlocking themes cover science, myth, history, medicine and energy, while Beuys’ own image and life story is inextricably linked to his work.
This exhibition includes the sculpture Scala Napoletana which was made only a few months before the artist's death, and relates to the theme of communication with the beyond.
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