Joseph Beuys, 1980-1983

In 1979, Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys met in what was described by the press as a meeting between "two rival popes” as Andy Warhol was known as a chronicler of consumerism and celebrity, while Joseph Beuys was an earnest environmentalist, spiritualist and Green party founding member, and both artists were pivotal figures in contemporary art in their own way. After Andy Warhol had taken pictures of Beuys, Jörg Schellmann and Bernd Klüser (then collaborating as Schellmann & Klüser) as well as Italian gallerist Lucio Amelio all simultaneously suggested to Warhol that he use his photographs of Joseph Beuys as the basis for a new work. Ranging from colourful repetitions to subtle black-on-black images, Warhol’s portraits of Beuys not only signify the crossover of two icons of contemporary art but also serve as a visual testament to the deep mutual respect shared between these influential figures. This series of original artworks and editions, the latter of which were all published by Schellmann & Klüser, is widely considered his last great portrait series.