The art academy

Anyone who is out and about in Düsseldorf automatically follows in the footsteps of Joseph Beuys. The global artist led a public life in the city and his routes and locations are well documented. No other professor appeared in the media as effectively as he did. There is also a legendary photo of Beuys riding his bicycle down the small staircase at Eiskellerstraße 1. Gerrit Terstiege visited the academy for us and describes how important it is for the heartbeat of the city.

The world-famous art academy in Düsseldorf is still the creative heart of the city today: a source of inspiration, a think tank. And it is a place of contrasts. This starts with its location - because it is both hidden and central at the same time. There are still people interested in culture who easily find their way to the equally legendary Kunstsammlung NRW on Grabbeplatz - but are unaware that another architectural jewel awaits them in the immediate vicinity. Because if you walk through the Kunstsammlung passageway, where the entrance to the museum is located on the left, you can reach the Academy's legendary address in just a few steps: Eiskellerstraße 1.

Stage and laboratory

For Joseph Beuys, the elongated building, situated at a slight angle to the banks of the Rhine, was both a stage and an experimental laboratory. Here, in this important neo-Renaissance building, he worked on the rebirth of art, on the shaping of his thought structure, in which speaking and listening were just as important and creative for him as drawing, painting and sculpting. The artist was always concerned with the future, with constant new beginnings - not only of art, but of society as a whole: "Just as man is not there, but must first come into being, art must also first come into being, because it does not yet exist."

Beuys and his class

To get you in the mood, we recommend the film "Beuys and his class", which can be found on YouTube. It makes it clear that his teaching follows the principle of proximity and exchange: surrounded by students, Beuys discusses with an alert gaze and quick comprehension: he remains silent, hesitates, gesticulates, asks questions and postulates, shakes his head and laughs out loud. When you see these scenes - his gaunt face in close-up as if chiseled in stone - you would love to have been there for at least one day, in these hallowed halls, which do indeed reverberate. The high ceilings of the studios and the round arches of the long corridors are still acoustic amplifiers of every word that is spoken here.

There is no doubt that the work that Beuys left us is deeply influenced by his studies and work at the art academy. So anyone who loves the city on the Rhine, which would be a different city without its long-standing, close connection to the arts, should get to know this place and take a leisurely stroll around the academy with its richly decorated facades and let it take effect on them. It is well worth it!

Text: Gerrit Terstiege

Gerrit Terstiege writes for magazines such as art, Monopol and Mint and always enjoys writing about art and music from Düsseldorf.

Photo: Cover picture: Brigitte Hellgoth/ Süddeutsche Zeitung Photo

Gallery: Düsseldorf Tourism

You can find out more about Beuys on our website. You can find the art academy here.