Joseph Beuys

Physico-Chem-Zeit-Konstellation 11:00 23:00

1962

Not on display

Artist: Joseph Beuys 1921–1986
Original title: Physico-Chem-Zeit-Konstellation 11:00 23:00
Medium: 2 works on card, oil paint and graphite
Dimensions: Support (upper): 208 x 280 mm
support (lower): 212 x 212 mm
frame: 674 x 541 x 28 mm
Collection: Tate / 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: AR00698

Online caption

Allusions to different branches of science are brought together in this two-part drawing, which refers to physics, chemistry and astronomy. In the top part, selected words have been covered with paint, as if to 'absorb' them into the medium. In the bottom part, the covering of words seems more artful, with longer sweeps of paint used, as if charting the movements of stars. The work includes a sense of passing time over a twelve-hour period, with the top part marked 23:00 hours and the bottom 11:00 hours. It may have been made to record a particular event.