Joseph Beuys: A Transformative Force Today
Event Information
Description
Join us at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London for an after-hours gallery opening of Joseph Beuys: Utopia at the Stag Monuments and panel discussion with the exhibition's curator Norman Rosenthal, British sculptor Antony Gormley and Louisa Buck, Contemporary Art Correspondent, The Art Newspaper.
‘Art can no longer be art today if it does not reach into the heart of our present culture,’ Beuys stated. Discussing the artist, his work and the ideology that imbues its iconography, each panellist brings their perspective on the profound impact of Beuys’ ideas, during his lifetime and today, including Rosenthal’s personal memories of Beuys from his time co-curating the artist’s legendary 1982 exhibition Zeitgeist at the Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin.
Join us to hear about Beuys’ early works on view in the gallery for the first time, the originals of his major environments - notably his seminal Stag Monuments environment, reunited in almost its entirety for the first time since its creation.
‘In a time in which art is commodified and in some sense made into a trophy, where it’s institutionalised and intellectualised, the urgency of Beuys saying to us we are all artists and we are all together making the world for better or for worse, is a critical message.’ Antony Gormley
The event will begin with a complimentary drinks reception and will be followed by an exclusive after-hours gallery viewing. Please bear in mind that both seated and standing places are limited so guests will be admitted on a first come first serve basis.
For a taste of what's to come, watch curator Norman Rosenthal and artist Antony Gormley discussing Joseph Beuys: 'Utopia at the Stag Monuments' on our YOUTUBE channel.