Klaus Staeck

On the centenary of Beuys' birth, a new edition of the classic book on his Free International University at Documenta 6Documenta, Kassel, 1977: a pump driven by two strong motors forces two tons of honey over a 55-foot-high pipe into a network of tubes that traverses the rooms of the Fridericianum Museum. This was the core of Joseph Beuys' (1921-86) "Free International University," which he brought to life at Documenta 6. Around his Honeypump in the Workplace Beuys created events that expanded his notion of art and starkly differentiated it from tradition. For Beuys, "workplace" meant talks, speeches, workgroup discussions and citizens' action committees. For 100 days he tirelessly expressed his ideas on how art and society must necessarily change, filling numerous blackboards with texts, diagrams and musical scores. On June 28, 1977, Beuys invited Klaus Staeck and Gerhard Steidl to join him in servicing and maintaining his honeypump, which was carefully documented in the photographs of this book, first published in 1997 and now reconceived by Staeck and Steidl.

A reconceived edition of Steidl's classic account of Beuys' 1974 American tourOn January 9 1974, Joseph Beuys (1921-86), together with Klaus Staeck and Gerhard Steidl, traveled for the first time to America. This trip was a carefully planned performance that took place in airplanes, taxis, hotels, universities and galleries, and was comprehensively documented in photographs and video. The tour began with a lecture at New York's New School, visited by artists including Claes Oldenburg, Lil Picard and Al Hansen; the next stop was Chicago, the site of more controversial lectures and an unexpected performance reenacting the death of John Dillinger; then Minneapolis, with more conferences and discussions. Upon returning to Germany, the hundreds of photographs and many hours of videotape were assembled, but it was only in October 1985, shortly before his death, that Beuys finalized the sequence for the book. Originally published in 1987, this new Steidl edition has been wholly reconceived by Klaus Staeck and Gerhard Steidl.

Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) was photographed extensively during his life--at work, while traveling or at home. But only a few photographers had the privileged access and tenacity of Klaus Staeck and Gerhard Steidl. Graphic artist Staeck and printer/publisher Steidl accompanied Beuys with their cameras from 1970 until his death in 1986. Staeck and Steidl were part of Beuys' entourage, worked closely with him to produce his multiples and objects, and documented intimate aspects of the life of this unmatched artist-performer. These photos reveal Beuys' unique charismatic personality that influenced not only those he met, but society and art in general.