Joseph Beuys in Memoriam

Medium: Screenprint on Arches 88 paper
Year: 1986
Sheet: 32×24 inches (81.3 x 61 cm)
Edition: 90
Artist’s Proofs: 20 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Hors Commerce: 5 HC
Other: 30 numbered in Roman numerals
Trial Proofs: 26 TP, signed in pencil and unnumbered with a different size
Sheet: 41 x 29 1/2 inches (104.1 x 74.9 cm)
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New-York
Publishers: Galerie Bernd Klüser, Munich, Germany and Editions Schellmann, Munich, Germany/New-York
Literature: Feldman & Schellmann II.371

Signed and numbered in pencil, lower left

Published in the portfolio for Joseph Beuys, containing works by 30 artists, as an homage to Joseph Beuys after his death in 1986

Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys, though distinct in their artistic approaches, were united in their status as icons of 20th-century art, both committed to constructing artistic personalities that came to define their work. Beuys, a leading figure in the Fluxus and Conceptual Art movements, explored the realms of social sculpture and shamanistic practices, emphasizing the potency of the idea and the transformative ability of art in society. By contrast, Warhol, the preeminent Pop artist, was known for his fascination with consumerism and celebrity culture. He created vibrant images of highly recognizable people, symbols and commodities, often utilizing the silkscreen technique to echo mass-media.  Despite their differences, both Beuys and Warhol became renowned figures as they subverted the established norms of their time, disregarding artistic convention. For that reason, publishers Jörg Schellmann and Bernd Klüser, together with art dealer Lucio Amelio, suggested that Warhol make portraits of Beuys, a fellow artist with myth-like status to rival his own.

Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys at Warhol’s exhibition “Joseph Beuys, paintings and prints”, Edition Schellmann, Munich, 1980. Image: © Schellmann Art

Warhol met Beuys in 1979 when he visited New York for his Guggenheim retrospective, and a critic wrote that the occasion “had all the ceremonial aura of two rival popes meeting in Avignon.” That same year, the two artists met again at the Hans Mayer Gallery in Dusseldorf. There, Warhol took a polaroid of Beuys which would become the basis for the multiple portraits he made of him. Ranging from colorful repetitions to subtle black-on-black images, to vivid camouflage overlays, Warhol’s portraits of Beuys not only signify the crossover of two icons of contemporary art, but also serve as visual testament to the deep mutual respect shared between these influential figures.

Auction Results

Phillips New-York: 15 February 2024
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 15,240

Sotheby’s London: 19 March 2020
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 17,500 / USD 20,325

ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)
JOSEPH BEUYS IN MEMORIAM (F. & S. II.371),from for Joseph Beuys, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Arches 88 paper
Signed in pencil, numbered 46/90

2. Trial Proofs

Phillips London: 17 January 2024
Estimated: GBP 15,000 – 20,000
GBP 33,020 / USD 41,708

Phillips London: 6 June 2019
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 18,000
GBP 32,500