New Book Examines Joseph Beuys's 'Megalomaniac' Ambition and Economimesis

Daniel Spaulding, who teaches modern and contemporary art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has just published a book called 'Joseph Beuys and History' through Princeton University Press. It’s set to hit shelves in the US on March 24 and in the UK on May 19. This book offers a deep dive into Beuys’s impact on art and his desire to reshape society, politics, and economics through his concept of 'Gestaltung.' Spaulding refers to Beuys as "tremendously ambitious, perhaps to the point of megalomania." The work highlights key pieces like 'I Like America and America Likes Me' and 'Honigpumpe am Arbeitsplatz,' and touches on Beuys’s legendary backstory from WWII. The cover features a classic image from 1972, 'La Rivoluzione Siamo Noi.' Even though Beuys passed away in 1986 at 64, his influence in the art market keeps expanding.