Joseph Beuys, Wirthschaftswerte, 1980 (installation view)

On our latest trip to Belgium we were happy to run into this beautifull installation in the museum for contemporary art in Ghent. Wirtschaftswerte (Economic Values) was made for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Ghent. In this work are arranged food packages from East Germany on a metal shelf brought in a display room for the 19th century painting in the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent. Each package has his autograph. In front of the shelf is a rectangular solid plaster block. This block that symbolizes "sculpture" and, by the same token, "art," has its broken part filled in with butter. It is understood from the smudge on the plaster that butter, a symbol for energy, is absorbed into "art." A cable extends from a radio placed on the shelf to the plaster. This cable acts as the go-between of food and "art." When the work is exhibited somewhere else, the paintings locally made in the days of Karl Marx (1818 -- 1883) are arranged on the surrounding walls.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Joseph Beuys
• Wirthschaftswerte
• 1980
• SMAK
• GHENT
• Collection
• ART

[bramgent]

Masterpiece ! One of my favourites in SMAK Ghent!