Joseph Beuys

Felt Action for an Actress

1965

Not on display

Artist: Joseph Beuys 1921–1986
Original title: Filz-Aktion für eine Aktrice
Medium: Oil paint and graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 210 × 298 mm
frame: 674 × 541 × 28 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: AR00670

Online caption

In the dark grey oil paint of this work a small face can be seen, with the legs a short distance away shown extended towards the right edge of the page. Beuys has returned to the persona of the actress here, the role in which women are often depicted in his drawings. The woman is engulfed in oil paint, which represents the grey felt the artist used in his sculptures and 'actions'. Although it is a material which can insulate and absorb, felt also has a feminine aspect through its ability to mould to shapes and to provide protection.