Where did the great artist Joseph Beuys live? The comic story by Gianluca Costantini

In the summer of 2022, the author visited Düsseldorf and discovered that Joseph Beuys's former home at Drakeplatz 4 in Oberkassel was for sale, but the city's cultural department declined to purchase it. Beuys lived and worked there from 1961 until his death in 1986, using the space as both a residence and studio. The article recounts the intimate details of family life there, including how Beuys painted the main room white for his wife Eva's photography, and how the family navigated the blend of private life and artistic practice. Two years later, the Brunhilde Moll Foundation acquired the house and opened it to the public, though it was closed for renovations when the author returned. The house now displays about sixty works from Beuys's creative period and will host artist residencies and events.

This story matters because it highlights the ongoing tension between preserving the legacy of major artists and the commercial pressures on their historic spaces. The city's refusal to buy the house reflects broader debates about public investment in cultural heritage, while the foundation's intervention shows how private philanthropy can step in to safeguard artistic history. The article also underscores the importance of domestic spaces in shaping an artist's work—Beuys's home was not just a residence but a laboratory for his radical ideas about art, life, and politics. By opening the house to the public and planning residencies, the foundation ensures that Beuys's spirit of creative exchange continues to inspire new generations.