Accompanying Thaddaeus Ropac’s extensive solo exhibition on Joseph Beuys, a second, smaller exhibition curated by Antony Gormley places the two artists’ works in dialogue. Unsurprisingly, Gormley de Beuys’ selections feature mostly references to the human body. In some cases these references are rather oblique, as in “part A” of a group of pencil drawings titled Bewegung Rhythm (Movement Rhythm), 1962, in which a dismembered arm hovers near a barely articulated crotch. In other cases they are more emphatic, as in the piece with the descriptive title in pencil, watercolour, gouache and iron chloride Zwei Frauen (Two Women), 1955, whose titular female silhouettes carry a distinct sense of intimacy despite their inconsistency.
What is most striking about Beuys’ drawing in both exhibitions is its filigree delicacy and aesthetic precision. This should be something of a revelation for those familiar only with the artist’s conceptual work, whether in the form of a now mythologized performance or an aggressively bodily installation. Similarly, several of Gormley’s works on paper are pleasantly unusual. He chose nine of his own designs, spanning four decades. The most recent, 20th Blood Field I And Learn to think X, both 2021, are composed in the blood. There are pieces from the 1980s that are much less bombastic. The black pigment, linseed oil and charcoal drawings are particularly noteworthy. women and architecture1985, and hold the heart, 1987. These are aesthetically about as far as you can get from the kind of sculpture the artist has become synonymous with. Rather than commanding attention, the human figures in these works appear utterly vulnerable, as if about to be crushed under irresistible pressure.
