The Kunstmuseum Basel was one of the first major museums in Europe to exhibit and systematically acquire the works of Joseph Beuys (1921 - 1986). The history of the significant Basel Beuys collection dates back to 1969, when Dieter Koepplin organized the first Beuys exhibition in the museum's print room, which received a great response. Koepplin, who was originally a specialist in Cranach, recognized early on the aesthetic and mental fascination that the works of the then-controversial artist exuded, and he advocated for the acquisition of early works on paper. These formed the foundation of what would soon become an impressively extensive collection of sheets from all phases of his artistic development. Over the years, sculptural works, multiples, and in 1977, the scandal-ridden acquisition of the spatial installation "Feuerstätte" were added.