Terremoto

Mediums: felt, chalk, fat, finished products (typewriter, Italian flag, metal container, tape recorder, brochure).
Dimensions: 349,9 x 490,2 сm.
Location: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (the USA).

The name translates from Italian as “earthquake”. The catastrophe that occurred in 1980 destroyed a small town near Naples. At the invitation of the Neapolitan Cultural Center, Beuys and several other artists completed works dedicated to dead people and the consequences of the tragedy. Although the name and date refer the installation to a specific event, its meaning also applied to the political situation of that time. The composition reflects the support for independence for this region of Italy, as evidenced by Manifestos glued to the typewriter. The boards create something like an altar – they have alchemical symbols and drawings of skulls that remind of the victims of the natural disaster.