Joseph Beuys

Untitled

1983

Not on display

Artist: Joseph Beuys 1921–1986
Medium: Ink, graphite and stamp on printed paper
Dimensions: Support (each): 145 × 102 mm
frame: 1331 × 894 × 38 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: AR00690

Online caption

Ink stamps were used by Beuys in his drawings from the 1960s onwards. The kind most often seen is circular in design, featuring several symbols and the word 'Hauptstrom', which translates as 'Mainstream'. This diamond-shaped stamp is found in several works from the 1980s, and its repeated printing over a selection of scraps of paper here has been used to create a dazzling effect. Beuys began using ink stamps as a parody of official stamps used by bureaucracy. His 'Hauptstrom' stamps were often added after a work was made, changing its meaning and date. With the stamp used here, the diamond shape is central to the overall pattern created.