Hasengrab V (die Alpen)
by Joseph Beuys
Artist
Joseph Beuys
(Tyskland, 1921 - 1986)
Alternate Title
- Hare Tomb V (the Alpes)
- Hargrav V (Alperna)
Date1965
MediumDiverse material
Dimensions46 x 92,5 x 23 cm
ClassificationSculptures
Credit LineDonation 1971 from The Friends of Moderna Museet
Countries
Object NumberNMSK 2096
CollectionsModerna Museets Vänner
The artwork is not on display
About the artworkJoseph Beuys is the foremost 20th-century shaman of art. Joseph Beuys' Hare Tombs were created in connection with a series of actions in 1965. In three-hour seances called "How to explain pictures to a dead hare", Beuys sat, stood and shuffled around, his face covered with gold leaf and honey, one foot wrapped in felt and animal fat, yelling, chanting, muttering an explanation of his art to a dead hare that he held in his arms. For Beuys the hare was a symbol of human vulnerability. It was also connected with change, as in alchemy, where gold can be produced by chemical means. One important theme was our alienation from nature, not least in our relationship to animals and death. Apart from the rubbish that covers the hare's tomb and the Swiss flag's cross that marks it, death is an "invisible" material in this work. It shapes the work as strongly as the dead hare that may be buried under the stone.
Selected exhibition history Givet av MMV (1972) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Ny presentation av samlingen (2000-2002) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Jan Håfströms urval ur MM:s samlingar (1994-1995) Moderna Museet, Stockholm The Moderna Museet exhibition catalogues Givet av Moderna Museets vänner : [Moderna Museet : 22.1 - 13.2 1972]
Selected exhibition history Givet av MMV (1972) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Ny presentation av samlingen (2000-2002) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Jan Håfströms urval ur MM:s samlingar (1994-1995) Moderna Museet, Stockholm The Moderna Museet exhibition catalogues Givet av Moderna Museets vänner : [Moderna Museet : 22.1 - 13.2 1972]