Figure 18.18 Photograph of Christo and Jeanne- Claude’s The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975–85.
bridge’s unveiling made Christo and Jeanne-Claude the most famous artists in the world.
Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) A major figure of the post-war German avant-garde, Joseph Beuys practised his art in Europe and the USA from the 1950s through the early 1980s. He viewed art as a vehicle for social change, and his performance ‘actions’ were shamanistic-style experiences incorporating ritualised movement and sound.
Shaman: A person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits. Typically, such people enter a trance state during a ritual.
His work is especially famous for its inclusion of animal fat and felt, which had deep personal significance to the artist.
The Pack
The two common materials, one organic, the other fabricated, are an essential ingredient in his very famous work, The Pack (Fig. 18.19). The work may refer directly to his experiences in World War II. He often described being rescued from a plane crash over Crimea by a band of Tartars who coated his body with fat and wrapped him in felt.
CHAPTER 18 ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPE
Figure 18.19 The Pack, 1969, by Joseph Beuys, Staatliche Museen, Germany. The Pack includes a 1961 Volkswagen bus and 24 wooden sleds.
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Form
A Volkswagen Bus is symbolic for an entire generation of anti-war demonstration, international social upheaval and fears of global nuclear Cold War.
