Beuys, Joseph (1921-1986)

German sculptor and performance artist. He was one of the leaders of the European avant-garde during the 1970s and 1980s. An exponent of Arte Povera, he made use of so-called ‘worthless’, unusual materials such as felt and fat. His best-known performance was How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare (1965). He was also an influential exponent of video art, for example, Felt TV (1968).

Beuys saw the artist as a shaman and art as an agent of social and spiritual change.