Matthew Barney & Joseph Beuys: All in the Present Must Be Transformed

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism

Matthew Barney & Joseph Beuys: All in the Present Must Be Transformed Details

All in the Present Must Be Transformed: Matthew Barney and Joseph Beuys examines key affinities between these two seminal twentieth-century artists, who, though separated by generation and geography, share many aesthetic and conceptual concerns. Published in conjunction with the exhibition at the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, it focuses on the two artists' metaphoric use of materials, their interest in metamorphosis, their employment of narrative structures and the relationship between action and documentation in their work. The exhibition, whose content is drawn largely from the Guggenheim's substantial permanent collection, pairs a selection of drawings and vitrines by both artists, as well as Barney's multipart sculpture, "Chrysler Imperial" (2002) from Cremaster 3, with Beuys' installation "Terremoto" (1981). The book examines the performative side of both artists' practices, as evidenced by the way each has theatricalized his own sculptural production. In addition, it documents both artists' one-person exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and includes an extensive selection of drawings and key comparative works.

Reviews

I found this to be overall a good read. It introduced me to the complex cosmologies of Barney and Beuys. The link between the two is fascinating. Barney seems to incorporated Beuys's work into his own in a sensitive generous way and yet manages to maintain his own intense originality. A good lesson on how to respect the past and look forward at the same time.

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