FEBRUARY 2008:  The first small victories in the process to save the Block Beuys in Darmstadt from rather destructive renovations have been won.

Below is a summary of what emerged at the meeting in Darmstadt of 22 February 2008:

1. A willingness on the part of the gallery director and other staff to enter into discussion (they attended a meeting in September 2007 organised by the international Save the Block Beuys Initiative (coordinated by Dieter Schuhmacher, Katrin Pfaff and Dieter Schopohl from Darmstadt) 

2. The architects have reconsidered their initial proposals with regard to the questions posed at the meeting of 8 September. The plans they presented on 22 February now highlight 3 options, one of which would barely alter the Block Beuys (although there is still some question whether even this intervention is really necessary)

3. The Province of Hessen has said that costs should not determine the decisions with regard to the Block Beuys

4. Dr. Busch, the museum's director has given her word that the carpet with the yellow line on it in Room 1 of the Block Beuys (The Transiberische Bahn) will stay. She also announced her decision to ensure that the proposed video unit will not be incorporated into any of the 7 rooms of the Block Beuys itself.

Decisions still pending

APRIL 2008: What will happen to the jute walls and the grey carpets that are an integral part of the whole Block Beuys installation is still to be decided by the symposium at the Landesmuseum on 18 and 19 April. 

Prof. Dieter Koepplin, Kaspar Koenig, Prof. Caroline Tisdall and Shelley Sacks will be amongst those presenting papers at the symposium. The Darmstadt Initiative will also make a presentation.

A special 'restorer's forum' has been set up on this site to enable discussion between specialists involved in the restoration of Beuys work.

A publication in German, to be produced by the Landesmuseum during 2008, will contain all the papers presented at the symposium / 'Hearing' in the Landesmuseum, Darmstadt in April 2008.

See English versions of presentations by Shelley Sacks, Caroline Tisdal and Ron Feldman

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MAY 2008:  Awaiting outcome of  Darmstadt 'hearing'