About this artwork
Many of Beuys's 'actions' and sculptures used sound in some way. Sound is included in this relief through the use of a record. On top of the record is a hare's jawbone, the hare being an animal which recurs frequently in the artist's work. It is associated with the earth and with birth, but the inclusion of its bones here is also reminiscent of a relic of a saint. The title of this relief hints at the artist's interest in Celtic countries – he visited Scotland and Ireland several times during his life. It is stamped with the circular 'Hauptstrom' stamp Beuys used for works he felt summed up his beliefs particularly well.
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:Joseph Beuys (1921 - 1986) German
-
title:Celtic Object 2
-
date created:1980
-
materials:Record sleeve, record, jaw bone and wood
-
measurements:84.10 x 64.50 x 5.60 cm
-
object type:
-
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
-
accession number:AR00628
-
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...