MONOCULTURE | A Recent History

During the action Das Schweigen von Marcel Duchamp wird überbewertet from 1964, Joseph Beuys wore his renowned outfit – jeans, fisherman’s vest and felt hat – and used his 'Braunkreuz'-paint mixed with chocolate together with these brushes to write the words of the title on a placard. The action was broadcast live on German television. It was Beuys’ way to criticise Duchamp for his decision to withdraw from the art world and devote himself to chess. According to Beuys, in so doing, Duchamp ran away from the responsibility of engaging himself from the social and political responsibility of being an artist.