4:30 PM MYT With his felt hat, fat-smeared exhibition spaces and the legendary declaration that 'everyone is an artist,' Joseph Beuys embodied modern art of the post-war 20th century like few others. Photo: Handout Joseph Beuys was a toweringly disruptive protagonist of 20th-century modern art. In the 100th anniversary year of his birth, his native Germany reflects on the artist's legacy of art for all. With his felt hat, fat-smeared exhibition spaces and the legendary declaration that "everyone is an artist," Joseph Beuys embodied modern art of the post-war 20th century like few others. On May 12 this year, the charismatic performance artist and sculptor would have turned 100. He died in January 1986 of a lung infection in Dusseldorf.