DEBBY WYE: Joseph Beuys was one of the most influential artists and teachers in post-war Germany, and these pieces of his, including the felt suit, are known as multiples – pieces produced multiple times. This new format, which arose in the 1960s, included a range of works that were provocative or confrontational -- either in the unexpected materials they used, or the potent messages they convey. Artists were reacting against the precious and elite aspects of unique art objects with these new multiples that were relatively inexpensive and could be made widely available. For the most part, they are three-dimensional objects made in large numbers and usually are much smaller than Felt Suit. One could even have a multiple sitting on one’s desk.
WENDY WEITMAN: There’s a fascinating, possibly apocryphal background story about the felt suit. Beuys fought in World War II, and built up a legend about what happened to him that may or may not be completely factual. The story is that he was shot down from his plane, rescued, and wrapped first in fat and then in felt, to bring back his body warmth. From that time, felt always had great meaning for him. Here, it might also be seen as insulation or protection against what’s going on around us. In fact, Beuys wore an example of the suit in one of his actions called Isolation Unit.
DEBBY WYE: Beuys made more than 600 different multiples. He thought they could serve an important social mission and hoped they would encourage creative thinking. Look just below the suit, for example, at his plain wooden Intuition box.
Beuys intended this empty box to prompt its owner to fill it up with new ideas, encouraging everyone to become a creative thinker, an artist. With a mission to democratize art, he created some 12,000 Intuition boxes.