Also at the Walker Art Center, I saw the show Statements: Beuys, Flavin, Judd. The exhibition certainly delivered on its promise of offering three different “statements” about post-WWII sculpture, but I found myself most drawn, as I often am, to the work of Joseph Beuys. In particular to this postcard, from the Walker’s permanent collection, which includes Beuys’s famous stamp for Deutsche Studentenpartei. As F.E. Rakuschan explains, “In 1967 he founded the German Student Party (Deutsche Studentenpartei), followed in 1971 by the Organisation for Direct Democracy (Organisation für Direkte Demokratie) and in 1972 by the Free International University (Freie internationale Universität). No doubt, Joseph Beuys in his roles as teacher and artist, who also showed great talent in making use of the mass media, substantially contributed to furthering critical thinking and action by many of his fellow human beings. At the same time, Beuys also reached the highest rankings on the art charts during his lifetime. His objects, sometimes just parts preserved from some Action, were soon traded like relics and ended up in exhibitions and museum collections all over the world.” Part of this body of organizational and conversational work is Beuys’s “We don’t do it without the rose,” also included in the Walkers show. A beautiful piece. More of Beuys’s ephemera is collected here.
