The work of Joseph Beuys inspires viewers with its ability to test creative and artistic boundaries. But the new exhibition at the David Winton Bell Gallery in List Art Center, "Joseph Beuys: Multiples from New England Collections," only halfheartedly elucidates the pivotal role Beuys played in undoing the art world's aesthetic conventions.
The gallery presents a collection of prints, posters, postcards and sculptures that explore Beuys' controversial artistic ideas.
The first room contains posters and postcards made under the artist's supervision or by the artist himself. The prints have been reproduced in large or sometimes unlimited quantities. Some posters of note for fans of Beuys include a gallery poster for "I like America and America likes me" as well as one for "Ikarus."
Before even entering the second room, however, you had better be familiar with Bueys' work if you want to truly enjoy the exhibit. Most of the works refer to his earlier performance pieces, so knowledge of his work is necessary to understand the show.
Beuys, a German artist commonly associated with the Fluxus movement - a synthesis of many different media - is most famous for his performance pieces and use of unconventional media, like honey, fat, earth and even dead animals in his works. His art is highly symbolic, often asking the viewer to think about the innate properties of his materials and how they relate to life.
In one of his most controversial performance pieces, "How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare," the artist, with his head covered in honey and a gold leaf,carried a dead hare on his arm while explaining the surrounding pictures to the carcass.
While the Bell gallery exhibit does not have as much raw shock value as a dead animal might inspire, the sculptural works are still very striking. "Sled #1" is one of the more famous pieces, consisting of a wooden sled with a flashlight, felt blanket and a chunk of solid fat on top of it, giving the viewer a taste of Beuys' use of strange and decaying media. The work suggests ideas of physical and spiritual movement in the sled, as well as guidance and survival in the blanket, flashlight and fat.
Another beautiful piece is one of Beuys' last, "Capri Battery," which consists of a light bulb plugged into a lemon, all contained in a wooden box. The work comments on sources of energy and asks the viewer to question what fuels society.
One of the best-known works represented at the exhibit, "Letter From London," is a lithograph copy of a blackboard diagram that Beuys drew in his "Society Into Art" performance piece in London. The print is accompanied by an audiotape described in the wall text as essential to understanding the piece. Frustratingly enough, however, no transcript or audio recording of the tape is provided.
Other works of note include "Intuition," "The Silence," "Blackboard Erasers" and prints from the series "Suite Circulation Time" and "Suite Tears."
Overall, the exhibit only taps the surface of Beuys' oeuvre. It does suggest his interest in challenging creative boundaries but, overall, it is a somewhat disappointingly tame introduction to the work of an edgy 20th century artist, suitable only for the contemporary art skeptic.
"Another View of Joseph Beuys: Multiples from New England Collections" is on view through March 8 at the List Art Center.
