Beuys

Andres Veiel, director of the acclaimed If Not Us, Who? is back with a film about one of the most important German artists of the 20th century. In a documentary that premiered at this year's Berlinale, we meet the figure of German artist Joseph Beuys from the perspective of several of his closest friends and associates. However, the strongest point of Veiel's work are not his interviews, but the extensive archival material that shows both Beyus's creative work and his appearances in the media. From these varying perspectives emerges a surprisingly coherent image of the protagonist, who-always with a hat on his head-is capable of pontificating with a certain swagger on just about any subject. Beyus's main interest is in the political and social power of art that cannot be separated from its surrounding reality. Veiel's film proves convincingly that, despite the 30 years that have passed since the death of its subject, his views are not dated in the slightest.