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“Spuren in Italia” (Traces Left in Italy) is the title of the catalogue, edited by Martin Kunz, that documents the exhibition of the work of Joseph Beuys at Kunstmuseum Luzern in 1979. The title refers back to a previous retrospective, curated by Germano Celant, and likewise accompanied by a catalogue, at Lucio Amelio’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Naples. Whereas this previous exhibition centered on the various specific relationships between Joseph Beuys and Italy (including his participation in the country’s political life and discourse), the exhibition in Lucerne lent more general attention to the history and heritage of the passage of artists and writers through the alps and into Italy by way of the St. Gotthard Pass. Goethe remains the emblem of this time-honored tradition, and numerous writers and artists have since that time reflected on their passage across the mountains and “arrival into Italy.” The Beuys exhibition at Kunstmuseum Luzern was a celebration of this tradition and its themes, and Beuys quoted the words of the painter Segantini, who best summed it up: voglio vedere le mie montagne (“I want to see my mountains.”) In addition to a lengthy interview (in English translation as well as in German) between Joseph Beuys and Martin Kunz, the catalogue also presents a facsimile reproduction (in seven colors) of a number of works selected from a series entitled Braun Kreuz (Brown Cross), and of which the cross is the theme.

Exhibition catalogue, Kunstmuseum Luzern, April 22 - June 6, 1979. Texts: Martin Kunz. Interview with Joseph Beuys by Martin Kunz