Approaching the essence of his work, this insightful publication reveals the artistic process and theoretical underpinnings of Beuys’s practice through a rigorous study of his drawings

For German sculpture and performance artist Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), drawing was a practiced form of thought with an experimental character on par with verbal and written modes of communication. The Drawings of Joseph Beuys: From Will to Form explores the centrality of drawing to Beuys’s artistic practice and stands as a testament to the growing influence of the preeminent postwar artist’s legacy.

Featuring 110 drawings from a collection assembled by the art historian, poet, and Beuys’s confidant Heiner Bastian, this book offers a synoptic cross-section of the artist’s oeuvre through an intimate study of the origins of his practice. Thematic sections elucidating Beuys’s philosophical beliefs and holistic process reveal the broader dimensions and formative quality of his drawings. By illustrating Beuys’s motivating concern—activating forces of nature to set in motion a process of transformation that would break new artistic and social ground—this collection powerfully delineates the wholeness of Beuys’s thinking and design.

Distributed for the Menil Collection

Exhibition Schedule:

Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlung Museum, Dresden
(October 23, 2026–January 17, 2027)

The Menil Collection, Houston
(March 26–July 11, 2027)

Björn Egging is director of the Staatliches Museum Schwerin, Schwerin, Germany. Edouard Kopp is John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Chief Curator of the Menil Drawing Institute, Houston.