Henning Christiansen, Bjørn Nørgaard–MANRESA HAUPTBANHOF – An Homage to Joseph Beuys

This book brings together for the first time all the material related to Joseph Beuys performance, the Action MANRESA, as well as a selection of critical texts that situate the action within its European context.

Joseph Beuys performed one of his most radical pieces, the Action MANRESA, on 15 December 1966, at the Galerie Schmela in Düsseldorf. He was accompanied by Henning Christiansen and Bjørn Nørgaard. In 1994 these two Danish artists gave continuity to the original piece with the performance Manresa Hauptbahnhof (Manresa, Central Station), which was done in the very city that had given name to the earlier Beuys action. That same city was where in 1522 Saint Ignatius of Loyola had the revelations that led him to write the Spiritual Exercises, a text that wielded a powerful influence on the German artist.

This book brings together for the first time all the material related to that second performance (including images, scripts and preparatory drawings), as well as a selection of critical texts that situate the action within its European context. Friedhelm Mennekes, an expert in contemporary art and a Jesuit priest, analyses the action by delving into its spiritual meaning, exploring the symbolism of the objects employed. The metaphor of the central station enables art critic Pilar Parcerisas to discover the city of reference and redraw the map of Europe, with unexpected connections between Manresa and Copenhagen. In the final essay, academic Peter van der Meijden, a specialist in the actions of these Danish artists, contextualises the two performances, which represented a meeting place for very different artistic personalities working on the cutting edge in creating a completely new kind of art.