GERD LUDWIG — BEUYS LAND
Having shared the Chornobyl photographs of German photographer Gerd Ludwig, we are honored to present a selection of Ludwig’s images of Joseph Beuys, and his seminal installation in Kleve, Germany, the alleged birthplace of Beuys. Our presentation precedes the upcoming debut of Joseph Beuys: In Defense of Nature at the Broad Museum, Los Angeles on November 16, 2024.
In January 1978, photographer Gerd Ludwig and journalist Peter Sager embarked on a journey to the Lower Rhine with Joseph Beuys, ahead of his 1979 solo exhibition at New York’s Guggenheim Museum—the first for any living German artist. The journey took them back to Beuys’ origins, to his roots in the city of Kleve and its surroundings, where both his life and legend began. Ludwig’s photographs captured Beuys as he reconnected with his past.
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To Beuys, it was a “look back into the landscape,” as Sager wrote. He traversed Kleve’s Lower Rhine landscape, with its deep horizons and soaring skies. “This is his landscape, very simple and with depth, sparse, like his works”—with hares, poplar trees, and swans. The trio visited the places of Beuys’ childhood and youth, including his former schools in Kleve.
In this setting, Beuys references the famous performance How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare, his first solo exhibition of 1965.
During Beuys' 100th birthday celebrations in 2021, Ludwig's photographs gained renewed recognition when seven of his signature images were exhibited life-size, or larger, in a landscape installation at the exact locations where they were originally taken four decades earlier. Through a bike tour, visitors encountered Ludwig’s life-sized images in the landscape, encouraging reflection on the interrelationship between art and nature.
The ambitious project connected Beuys’ concept of Social Sculpture to contemporary environmental dialogue, including the notion of topophilia—the love of place—inviting viewers to engage with Beuys' world in a way distinct from museum exhibitions. As wind, rain, and sunlight interacted with the photographs, they came to life in dialogue with the landscape itself. Please inquire as to available prints.
BEUYS LAND THE BOOK
After years of planning, the photographs—accompanied by a text from Professor Frank Mehring and an essay by Freddy Langer—have now been published in the monograph BEUYS LAND.
BEUYS LAND is the first book to position the Lower Rhine's natural landscape and Beuys’ birthplace, Kleve, at the core of his universe. In his text, Mehring analyzes how we can recognize the person Joseph Beuys beyond the brand, focusing on his biographical origins in the Lower Rhine to understand his significance for the digital generation.
BEUYS LAND (108 pages, 59 photos, 8.5 x 12”, English/German), signed copies are available at gerdludwig.com