About this artwork
The materials used in the making of this work relate to Beuys's experience of being rescued by nomadic Tartars when his plane was shot down during the Second World War. Fat was rubbed into his body and he was wrapped in felt to keep him warm. The sled looks as if it has been prepared for an expedition or in response to an emergency, with a survival kit strapped to it. The flashlight represents the sense of orientation, the felt is protective, and the fat is for food.
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:Joseph Beuys (1921 - 1986) German
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title:Sled
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date created:1969
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materials:Wooden sled, felt, belts, flashlight, fat and rope
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measurements:35.00 x 90.00 x 35.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2002
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accession number:GMA 4545
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys
German artist Beuys believed that art was integral to everyday life. According to Beuys his own art was shaped by an experience early in his life. As a Luftwaffe pilot during the war, he claimed that he was shot down over the Crimea and was saved by nomadic Tartars. Barely alive, he was wrapped in...