Joseph Beuys’ “In Defense of Nature” at the Broad L.A. Gallery and Museum Exhibitions to Check Out During Frieze . (This link opens in a new tab).
By Elisa Carollo
Ever resilient, the Los Angeles scene is kicking off this year's Art Week with major shows activating the city.
Joseph Beuys’ “In Defense of Nature” at the Broad, through March 23
While the Broad in Los Angeles may be best known for its flashier holdings—Jeff Koons’ balloon sculptures, Andy Warhol’s pop icons and Basquiat’s raw, streetwise masterpieces— the museum is shifting focus to the ascetic yet no less provocatively revolutionary practice of German artist Joseph Beuys. In over 400 works from the Broad collection, the exhibition highlights Beuys’s lifelong belief in art as a tool for societal transformation, centering on his commitment to environmental justice and his radical critique of capitalist systems of overproduction and overconsumption—issues that remain urgently relevant as the world faces the escalating consequences of ecological imbalance.
The show includes some of Beuys’ most iconic multiples, such as Felt Suit (1970) and Sled (1969), each transformed from ordinary objects into shamanic talismans, imbued with ritualistic power and inviting deeper sensitivity toward both the natural environment and social inequities. Ever blurring the line between art and life, Beuys famously declared that “every human being is an artist,” asserting that every creative act holds the potential to ignite political and social change.
