Joseph Beuys

Damp Value

1964–74

Not on display

Artist: Joseph Beuys 1921–1986
Medium: Graphite on paper, paint on glass and wire
Dimensions: Frame: 811 × 591 × 31 mm
Collection: ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland
Acquisition: ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
Reference: AR00604

Online caption

Although this is a sculptural work, it has a graphic element, with the page of notes and sketches in the frame. The piece has an unfinished look about it, with the page stuck in one corner of the frame, but as the frame has been hand painted and glazed it shows that the work is finished. This gives the notes a more official appearance and echoes the importance of Beuys's drawings to his work as a whole. He built up an enormous number of sketches and notes, often scribbled on scraps of paper, which he used as 'reservoirs' of ideas for his art.