Triptychon, 1981
Set of 3 lithographs, each print 76 x 56 cm (30 x 22 in). Edition of 90, each signed and numbered.
a Geschnatter unterhalb der Hütte (Chattering below the hut), b Sternbild des Bären (Constellation of the dipper), c Junger Elch über dem Haus des alten Müllers (Young moose above the old miller's house)
Schellmann 373-375
With this edition, Joseph Beuys expands his exploration of image, material, and symbolic structure into a three-part composition. The triptych format – historically associated with devotional painting – is reinterpreted through Beuys’s conceptual vocabulary, inviting reflection rather than veneration. Through the juxtaposition of restrained forms and charged materials, the work evokes themes central to his practice: transformation, energy, and the permeability between physical and spiritual realms. Created in 1981, Triptychon exemplifies Beuys’s ability to infuse minimal visual means with complex philosophical resonance.
The work is part of the collections of The Broad, Los Angeles, and the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
