Image of Gallery in South Kensington
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Print I

Print
1971 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Works by the Conceptual artist Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) take many forms. A number of them involve the use of felt and fat, a reference to a traumatic experience in his youth. In 1943, while serving in the German Air Force, his aircraft crashed in the Crimea in winter. He was rescued by nomadic Tatars, who treated his wounds with fat and wrapped him in felt to keep him alive. In this print and its pair in the V&A (E.945-1981), he pays tribute to his rescuers with the symbolic image of the felt suit (which was an actual garment made by Beuys and which reappears in other works) and a cross that recalls both selflessness and survival kits.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Print I
  • Druck I (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Printed paper, inscribed by hand in ink
Brief description
'Druck I' by Josef Beuys. Letterpress on paper. 1971
Physical description
print on paper
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 79.9cm
  • Sheet width: 57cm
Styles
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
  • Der Eurasier lasst schon grussen Joseph (1) Makers's mark 2) Signature; German; inscribed by hand; handwritten; blue ink)
    Translation
    The Eurasian sends warm Greetings Joseph
  • Hauptstrom (1) Makers's mark; German; dye stamp; purple ink)
    Translation
    main current
Production
This print is one of a pair, the other, of the same image but printed with sulphur powder, is also in the collection: E. 495-1971
Subjects depicted
Summary
Works by the Conceptual artist Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) take many forms. A number of them involve the use of felt and fat, a reference to a traumatic experience in his youth. In 1943, while serving in the German Air Force, his aircraft crashed in the Crimea in winter. He was rescued by nomadic Tatars, who treated his wounds with fat and wrapped him in felt to keep him alive. In this print and its pair in the V&A (E.945-1981), he pays tribute to his rescuers with the symbolic image of the felt suit (which was an actual garment made by Beuys and which reappears in other works) and a cross that recalls both selflessness and survival kits.
Bibliographic reference
Timmers, Margaret (ed), Impressions of the Twentieth Century: Fine Art Prints from the V&A's Collection, London, V&A Publications, 2001
Collection
Accession number
E.496-1981

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Record createdDecember 4, 2002
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