Most celebrated artists are as influential artistically as they are critically. Beuys’ reception to date, remains controversial and contradictory; his artistic influence is unquestioned but this is not matched by his critical acclaim. In an attempt to address this difficulty with the publication of Joseph Beuys: Mapping the Legacy (2001), Gene Ray notes that Beuys “inspired, enabled, or enriched important directions of contemporary art production, from what can broadly be called ‘history of art’ to installation, performance, and environmental art”, (Ray 2001: 1). And yet, despite his overwhelming influence in the artistic world, critical reception of Beuys remains somewhat polarised and contentious
