JOSEPH BEUYS

Joseph Beuys was a German-born artist known for his insistence on reform in all aspects of life. His work ranged from graphic art, performance art, sculpting, and various installations. Initially gaining notoriety from his early installations and drawings, Beuys popularity really rose to an international level as he became more visibly committed to social and political reform. His radical ways led to him form a handful of activist groups, and finally cost him his job at the school he was instructing at. But Beuys was not fathomed by this, as he believed that human creativity and art could alone bring upon a great revolution.


One of Beuys' most popular and final pieces of art was a commissioned piece titled "7000 Eichen" (7000 Oaks). The piece was something Beuys considered to be a "social sculpture." He was commissioned in 1982 to do a piece for Germany's Documenta 7. He then delivered a large, mysterious pile of basalt stones. Somebody then noticed that if viewed from above, the pile made the shape of an arrow which then pointed to a single oak tree that Beuys had planted along with the stones. Beuys then went on to announce the full scale of the project: He asked that no stone be moved, unless it were to have an oak tree planted right beside its new location. For the next five years, numerous people pitched in to help this project reach full fruition. Although it was first viewed as controversial, 7000 Eichen went on to perfectly represent the idea of a social sculpture, in that it was defined as both "participatory and interdisciplinary." Beuys had an insistence on making every human an artist all contributing to one piece, and what better example than this could he have produced? He united a community through participation, and changed the land around him and his community as a result. Now the city of Kassel, Germany is riddled with 7000 trees, and Beuys art has lived on, giving back to a community long after he has passed.

"A SOCIAL ORGANISM AS A WORK OF ART’… EVERY HUMAN BEING IS AN ARTIST"
--Joseph Beuys