Neuausgabe des Standardwerks zu Joseph Beuys / Band 1 und Band 2

Die Beuys-Biografie von Hans Peter Riegel erschien 2013 in ihrer ersten Fassung. Sie erlangte weltweite Aufmerksamkeit und veränderte die Beuys-Rezeption maßgeblich. Heute gilt sie als wichtigste biografische Publikation zu Joseph Beuys. Aufgrund ihrer gründlichen Recherche sowie der umfangreichen Quellenangaben bildet sie eine zentrale Stütze der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit Beuys.

Inzwischen liegt die höchst lesenswerte packende Dokumentation über Leben und Werk des großen Künstlers aktualisiert, durch neue Recherchen erweitert und

mit zusätzlichen Abbildungen ergänzt in vier Bänden vor.

Die Bände 1 (1921–1964) und 2 (1964–1986) bieten eine umfassende biografische Darstellung und erscheinen Anfang 2026 in weitreichend überarbeiteter Fassung.

Band 3 versammelt überwiegend bislang unveröffentlichte Dokumente, Texte und Fotografien. Band 4 widmet sich - anhand weitgehend unbekannter Reden

und Interviews von Beuys - dessen Weltanschauung sowie seinen gesellschaftlichen und politischen Ideen. Beide Bände erscheinen im Frühjar 2026 in überarbeiten Versionen.

Eine englischsprachige Fassung von Band 1 und 2 erscheint im Sommer 2026.

New Edition of the Standard Work on Joseph Beuys / Volumes 1 and 2

Hans Peter Riegel’s biography of Joseph Beuys was first published in 2013. It attracted worldwide attention and fundamentally reshaped the reception of Beuys. Today it is regarded as the most important biographical publication on Joseph Beuys. Thanks to its thorough research and extensive references, it has become a central pillar of scholarly engagement with Beuys.

The highly readable and gripping documentation of the great artist’s life and work is now available in an updated edition, expanded through new research and supplemented with additional illustrations, presented in four volumes.

Volumes 1 (1921–1964) and 2 (1964–1986) provide a comprehensive biographical account and will be published in a substantially revised edition in early 2026.

Volume 3 brings together mostly previously unpublished documents, texts, and photographs. Volume 4 focuses on Beuys’s worldview as well as his social and political ideas, drawing on largely unknown speeches and interviews. Both volumes will be published in revised editions in spring 2026.

An English-language edition of Volumes 1 and 2 will be published in summer 2026.

100. Geburtstag von Joseph Beuys / 3. und 4. Band der Beuys Biographie erschienen:

BEUYS - VERBORGENES REDEN

Following the much-discussed, expanded new edition of his Beuys biography from 2018, Hans Peter Riegel has come up with another remarkable publication on Beuys.

Based on previously largely unknown speeches and interviews, the author analyzes Beuys' worldview, which was nourished by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. His esoteric, anthroposophical teachings were the central driving force behind the artist's life's work and guided his social attitudes as well as his view of history.

In the form of a dialogical juxtaposition of Beuys and Steiner, in the comparison of their statements, it becomes clear how much Beuys was inspired to spread the anthroposophical teachings.

A fact that is vehemently denied by many Beuys apologists, even though Beuys himself admitted this - in circles, however, in which this probably seemed opportune and not detrimental to his own reputation. Here, Beuys spoke openly about his connection to anthroposophy and thus also about his dubious social attitudes. However, these statements have remained hidden from the wider public to this day.

This "hidden speech" is the focus of the fourth volume.

The standard on Beuys.

The first edition of Beuys' biography by Hans Peter Riegel attracted worldwide interest as early as 2013. Today it is considered the standard work on Joseph Beuys and sets the academic benchmark on Beuys. Since the beginning of 2021, the book series on the great artist has been available in an updated form, now in four volumes with a total of 1,328 pages.

Volumes 1 and 2 are dedicated to the biographical presentation. Volume 3 is a collection of previously unpublished documents, some of which are highly controversial. Volume 4 is an analysis of Beuys' view of the world.