Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) was born in Kleve, Germany. After serving as a volunteer in the German military, Beuys attended the Dusseldorf Academy of Art to study sculpture, where in 1959 he became a professor. Much of his artwork reflects his attempt to come to terms with his involvement in the war. During the ’60s, Beuys became acquainted with the group Fluxus and artists such as Nam June Paik. The Fluxus movement inspired Beuys, and he staged “actions” to promote the idea that the artistic process was more important than a final product; for example, Beuys felt that all people were artists because they shape the content of their particular environment. Beuys’s political activism, his broad concept of creativity, and his commitment to both art and education challenged the traditional role of an artist. While he considered activism, discussion, and teaching essential to his expanded definition of art, Beuys also engaged in traditional artistic practice, creating objects and installations and performing.