About this artwork
The simplicity of this box is reminiscent of the work of Minimalist artists, like Donald Judd or Carl Andre. However, Beuys felt that Minimalist art was too far away from the disorder of real life. Yet, in the same way that Judd and Andre made industrial materials look beautiful, Beuys's work was also directed by his love of materials and desire to explore their properties. Here, the neatly cut felt acts as a soft, organic buffer between the sheets of copper. It may be the material's insulating properties which provide the sculpture with its name.
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:Joseph Beuys (1921 - 1986) German
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title:Dumme Kiste [Dumb Box]
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date created:1982
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materials:Copper and felt
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measurements:47.00 x 108.00 x 63.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
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accession number:AR00622
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gallery:
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...