Exhibition and Auction: 100 Years of Joseph Beuys
Where is Element 3?
Beuys
Joseph Beuys
Wo ist Element 3?
Uniqe object, 1984
210,5 x 110,2 x 45 cm
Berlin, February 09, 2021 (kk) - It will surely be on of the most significant recent Beuys auctions when in June Ketterer Kunst in Munich will call up more than 20 works by the likewise radical and influential artist. As the interest is already strong, the house is going to show a range of works, some acquired directly from the artist, in the special exhibition "Wo ist Element 3?" at its Berlin branch as of March 26. Consignments are accepted until early May.

"Top quality pieces by Joseph Beuys are very rare on the current art market. Thus I am all the more happy that we are able to make this great offer to our clients on occasion of the artist's 100th birthday", says Robert Ketterer, auctioneer and owner of Ketterer Kunst. "Both the exhibition and the auction will move into the focus of scores of art lovers and Beuys experts around the world."

Creative, complex and controversial - best describes Joseph Beuys. In his creation he examined questions regarding humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy, conceiving the concept of the "Social Plastic" in a sense of actively shaping society and politics. Above all, he was one of the most important performance artists ever. The Berlin exhibition at Ketterer Kunst allows deep insight into the artist's oeuvre and puts strong focus on Beuys' recurring question regarding 'Element 3', which aims at establishing future prospects for man in society and nature.

Works on display, of which many have featured in museum exhibitions at the 'Gropius Bau', Berlin, the 'Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen', Düsseldorf and the 'Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum' in Duisburg, show the full range of techniques the exceptional artist employed. In his collages, etchings, drawings, and most of all in his vast range of objects, materials such as gelatin, soil, wax, crystals, wood, marble, as well as various metals are used in addition to objects like suitcases and boxes. Next to his preferred materials felt and rabbit blood, some works also contain fishbones or magnetic waste, which, owing to their materiality, are full of transformatory meaning.

In context of the exhibition a discussion with culture journalist Christiane Meixner and Prof. Dr. Eugen Blume, art historian and former director of the Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin as well as Beuys expert and project director “beuys 2021. 100 jahre joseph beuys“, will also take place.

In context of the exhibition, a discussion with cultural journalist Christiane Meixner and Prof. Dr. Eugen Blume, art historian and former director of the Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin, as well as Beuys expert and director of the project "beuys 2021. 100 jahre joseph beuys", will take place. The talk will also be live-streamed, starting at 7 p.m. on May 14.

What ?     Exhibition "Joseph Beuys - Wo ist Element 3?"  
The auction will be accompanied by a special catalog with articles by Prof. Dr. Eugen Blume.
When ?   Exhibition:    Friday March 26, 2021 - Saturday May 22, 2021
                 Hours:    Monday - Saturday from 12 a.m. - 4 p.m.
                 Auction:    June 18/19, 2021
Where ?   Ketterer Kunst,Fasanenstr. 70, 10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg und
                 Ketterer Kunst, Joseph-Wild-Str. 18, 81829 Munich, Germany

Ketterer Kunst (www.kettererkunst.com and www.ketterer-internet-auctions.com) with headquarters in Munich and branches in Hamburg, Duesseldorf, Berlin as well as with a global network of representatives in, among others, the USA and Brazil, was founded in 1954. It is one of the leading houses for auctions of Fine Art from the 19th to the 21st Century and Rare Books. As market leader for Art from the 19thto the 21st Century in the German language region, the expert for German art, according to the 2020 report issued by the artprice database, is the only and strongest-selling family business represented in the global Top 10.

Press inquiries: Client inquiries:
Ketterer Kunst Ketterer Kunst
Joseph-Wild-Str. 18 Fasanenstr. 70
81829 Munich 10719 Berlin, Germany
Michaela Derra M.A.
phone:+49-(0)89-55244-152 phone:+49-(0)30-886 75 363
fax: +49-(0)89-552440 fax: +49-(0)30-886 75 643
e-mail: m.derra@kettererkunst.de e-mail: infoberlin@kettererkunst.de