Joseph Beuys in Memoriam 371 is a 1986 screenprint by Andy Warhol, created as a tribute to the renowned German artist Joseph Beuys. Published three years after Warhol's Joseph Beuys portfolio, this piece honors Beuys' profound influence as an artist, political theorist, and educator. The work coincides with the year of Beuys' passing in Düsseldorf from heart failure, reflecting Warhol's admiration for the pioneering artist.
While Warhol and Beuys were not close personally, they held a deep mutual respect for each other's work. This is evident in Warhol's portraits of Beuys from 1980 and in Beuys' collaborations with Warhol, including a poster for the German Green Party. In 1985, the two, along with Japanese artist Kaii Higashiyama, participated in an early experiment with fax machine art transmission, showcasing their shared interest in pushing artistic boundaries.
Joseph Beuys in Memoriam 371 stands out within Warhol's body of work for its surprising choice of imagery. Unlike Warhol's typical focus on consumer culture and celebrity, this piece combines Beuys' iconic image with a camouflage background—a bold and unusual choice. The camouflage motif, which Warhol would explore more fully in his final Camouflage series in 1987, adds an abstract dimension rarely seen in his oeuvre. This aesthetic shift underscores Warhol's capacity for innovation while gesturing toward Beuys' own avant-garde approach to art and performance.
Despite their contrasting styles—Warhol’s objective Pop Art and Beuys’ conceptual and often immaterial art—the two artists shared a democratic vision of creativity. Beuys believed in breaking down barriers between artist and audience, famously opening his classes to all students, while Warhol embraced the idea of universal fame and accessible art. Joseph Beuys in Memoriam 371 reflects this shared ethos, presenting Beuys as a figure of transformation and creativity. In this work, Beuys emerges as a symbolic guide, bridging the material and conceptual worlds that defined his and Warhol’s legacy.