Joseph Beuys. Richtkrafte.

Berlin.: Nationalgalerie. Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz., 1977. Original printed wrappers.. (29.5 x 21 cm).. pp. 104. A well-illustrated publication celebrating the first major Beuys accession for the Berlin Nationalgalerie in 1977, the acquisition of the work 'Richtkräfte’. It consisted of 100 school blackboards, mostly drawn and written on as the result of a four-week-long action by Beuys at the ICA London (1974). Whilst the catalogue includes texts by Beuys and Christos M. Joachimides it consists primarily of installation photographs from the installations of Richtkräfte at the ICA, the René Block Gallery, New York (April 1975), La Biennale Venice (1976), and finally Berlin (March 1977). This copy from the collection of the catalogue’s editor Christos Joachimides. It includes an inscription from Beuys in pencil on the title page: “Lieber Christos, du hast hiermit eine wirklich schöne und richtig Arbeit gestorn, herzlichen dank, dein Joseph” (Dear Christos, you have done a really nice and correct job, thank you very much, yours Joseph). Also included in this copy are three original black-and-white photographs. The first two, seemingly unpublished, show Beuys in conversation with Joachimides at the installation at the ICA London, 1974 (photos by Gerald Incandela). The other photograph, by Caroline Tisdall shows Beuys at work on the installation at the René Block Gallery, New York, April 1975. This photograph is reproduced in the catalogue on page 64.