Second floor
Joseph Beuys (b. 1921; d. 1986) was always fascinated by the forces of nature, energy, and the individual’s creativity. He advocated and practiced teaching art based on freedom, as he was convinced that “every man is an artist.” Many of Beuys’s performances and installations
sought to generate reactions beyond the purely aesthetic.
The monumental Lightning with Stag in Its Glare, where elements like a stag, primeval animals, a goat, and a powerful lightning bolt are represented, demands a location with specific features due to the work’s weight and size. Gallery 209 is the ideal space for it, as one of
the tallest and most spacious rooms in the Museum with an area of 447 m2, a height of 22 meters, and a skylight that naturally illuminates the installation. If walls could talk, would they shed any light on what is happening in this scene?