Joseph Beuys: 7000 Eichen. Anlässlich der Documenta VII in Kassel 1982
Düsseldorf, Germany: FIU-Geschäftsstelle Kunstakademie Atelier Beuys, 1982. Original one-page printed newsletter (measuring 11 3/4" x 8"), original printed mailing envelope.
Original newsletter from Joseph Beuys and German art collector and patron Franz Dalhelm announcing the leading German Fluxus artist’s contribution to the seventh edition of quinquennial art exhibition Documenta. One of the most significant artists of the postwar period, Beuys, who famously declared "everyone is an artist," viewed art as a tool for social transformation. Initiated when he had firmly established his reputation as one of Europe’s most influential postwar artists, 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks) began as a large-scale social sculpture in Kassel, Germany. Developed in conjunction with his Free International University (F.I.U.), the project proposed planting 7,000 oak trees, each paired with a basalt stone, gradually transforming the city through public participation and ecological action. The initial pile of stones functioned as a visible index of progress as trees were planted over time. Completed in 1987 for Documenta 8 after Beuys’s death, the work stands as a lasting model of civic and environmental engagement grounded in his expanded concept of art. Text in German. Printed on FIU letterhead, with a printed drawing by Beuys, FIU's inkstamp, and signed by Beuys and Dalhlem. Press release fine, original printed mailing envelope from Dia Art Foundation, Köln, with moderate soiling and some wear. Item #12715
$600.00