Joseph Beuys

         Joseph Beuys was not always an artist.  In 1921 he was born in a small northwestern, German city called Krefleld.  He was interested in medicine, but ended up volunteering for the military where he worked with piloting and aircrafts.  Beuys was seriously wounded many times and even survived a major crash.  At the end of the war, he was held as a prisoner in a British interment camp.


     When he returned he pursued his interest in medicine, and enrolled in the Düsseldorf Academy of Art. When he graduated in 1952, he spent most of his time drawing and reading.  He was offered to become a professor at Düsseldorf.  While he was teaching, he grew intrigued by the work of Nam June Paik and the fluxus movement.  His work was also heavily influenced from the images he collected from war time.  

         His first exhibit was in 1965 called, "How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare."  It featured a man with his face covered in honey and gold coloring.  He explained his drawings on the walls to the dead hare he held.  Beuys also experimented with sculpting and installations. 
        He believed art to be a healthy way.  Joseph Beuys took risks and wanted his art to provoke people.  He did not want to create something beautiful, he wanted his audience members to question his work. As an art theorist Beuys also believed in conserving the environment.  He planted 7,000 trees in Kassel, Germany.  Unfortunately, he died in 1986 but his risks have transformed what we consider art today.