Joseph Beuys was a German artist, born in 1921, who took part in the Second World War as a fighter pilot. During a mission in 1943, he crashed over the Crimea and suffered serious injuries. While recovering, he was treated with tallow and wrapped in felt, an experience that had a profound impact on his life and art.
After the war, Beuys studied painting and sculpture at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where he was a student of Josef Enseling and later a master student of Ewald Mataré. He was deeply affected by his war experiences and suffered from depression, which led him to spend a significant amount of time in Kranenburg in 1957.
In 1961, Beuys was appointed professor at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where he taught until 1972. He was a regular exhibitor at the Kassel art exhibition documenta, starting from 1964. His first solo exhibition was held in 1965 at Alfred Schmeler's gallery in Düsseldorf.
Beuys was a strong advocate for universities to operate autonomously and for a fairer admissions process. He founded the "German Student Party" in 1967 and the "Organization of Non-Voters, Free Referendum" in 1970. He also founded the "Organization for Direct Democracy through Referendums" in 1971 and the "Free International University for Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research" in 1973.
In 1972, Beuys occupied the secretariat of the Düsseldorf Art Academy with his students, leading to his dismissal. He was granted justice and the termination was declared unlawful. He then accepted a visiting professorship at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in 1978 and a retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York the following year.
Beuys continued to exhibit his work internationally, including a retrospective at the Seibu Museum in Tokyo in 1984. He also participated in various events and exhibitions, such as "Cross and Sign - Religious Foundations in the Work of J.B." in 1985 and "German Art in the Twentieth Century Painting and Sculpture 1905-1985" in London.
Throughout his life, Beuys was committed to using his art to bring about social and environmental change. He believed that the artist's creativity could be applied to all areas of life and that the politicization of art was essential for creating positive change.
