Beuys & Duchamp

With the first-ever juxtaposition of works by Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) and Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968), the Kunstmuseen Krefeld are taking a fresh look at two protagonists of the 20th century, both of whom radically changed the concept of art. The exhibition takes as its starting point the question as to what was so important about Duchamp for Beuys, who mentioned no other artist more often in interviews and who seems to have seen him as a challenge for his own concepts. Starting with one of the last room ensembles installed by Beuys himself in the museum in his native city of Krefeld, the exhibition with 150 international loans reveals the cosmos of the two pioneering artists and their dynamic relationship to each other.

“The project ties in with the history of the Kunstmuseen Krefeld from a current perspective and on the basis of the latest research,” emphasizes Director Katia Baudin. “Both artists are closely linked with our institution. The first solo exhibition of Marcel Duchamp in a German museum took place in Haus Lange in 1965. The Kunstmuseen Krefeld can thus be considered one of the places that contributed to Duchamp’s discovery in Germany in the 1960s.” During this period, Duchamp became a pioneer of new trends and a source of inspiration for a younger generation of artists in the United States and Europe. With his “ready-mades,” which he began conceiving in 1913, he had elevated serially prefabricated, everyday objects such as bottle dryers, urinals, and coat hooks to artistic objects, thus revolutionizing art and its reception. When Duchamp’s work was almost completed in 1965, Beuys was at the beginning of his intensified work in the public sphere.

The legendary action The Silence of Marcel Duchamp is Overrated (1964) is one of Beuys’s artistic confrontations with the “father figure” Duchamp. The title already speaks of Beuys’s ambivalent relationship to Duchamp, the master of staged skepticism and ironic distance. Whereas Duchamp rarely expressed himself publicly and not at all politically, Beuys invoked the power of art to transform society. In addition to the obvious contrasts in their respective works, attitudes, and personalities, the exhibition focuses on the affinities in terms of motifs and artistic strategies. Both understood art as a universal medium. They incorporated everyday objects into their work, dealt with the natural sciences in artistic experimental setups, staged their own person, and liberated artistic means from conventional boundaries and ideas. Inherent to both works is a radical potential for change. They challenge us to perceive everyday life and the environment differently and, in doing so, to redefine the role of the viewer.

In parallel, an extensive presentation of the collection titled Human Nature Politics at Haus Lange and Haus Esters is featuring works highlighting Beuys’ influence on the history of the museum from the 1960s to the present.

Beuys & Duchamp: Artists of the Future is accompanied by a comprehensive catalog in separate German and English editions (392 pages, c. 300 illustrations) published by Hatje Cantz, Berlin, edited by Magdalena Holzhey, Katharina Neuburger, and Kornelia Röder with contributions by Katia Baudin, Hans Dickel, Antje von Graevenitz, Gerhard Graulich, Magdalena Holzhey, Susanne M. l. Kaufmann, Dieter Koepplin, Michael Krajewski, Christa-Maria Lerm-Hayes, Gabriele Mackert, Katharina Neuburger, Kornelia Röder, and Leah Sweet. 

The exhibition is curated by Magdalena Holzhey and Kornelia Röder in collaboration with Katharina Neuburger and with scholarly advice from Antje von Graevenitz, Hans Dickel, and Paul B. Franklin. It is part of “beuys2021. 100 years of joseph beuys,” a project of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westfalia, in cooperation with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf under the direction of Eugen Blume and Catherine Nichols.  

An extensive accompanying program for adults, families and children including lectures, concerts, workshops and guided tours is planned for the exhibition. Please visit our website. 

The Kunstmuseen Krefeld are a cultural institution of the City of Krefeld.