Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor known for large, powerful works that confront Germany’s history, myth, and spirituality. He often uses heavy, mixed materials such as lead, straw, ash, clay, glass, and shellac to create thick, textured surfaces.
Kiefer’s work builds on themes from German history and the Holocaust, drawing on poetry by Paul Celan and Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). He also takes inspiration from myths, literature, and ancient cultures, weaving signs, names, and places into his pieces as a way to process the past. A formative influence early on was Vincent van Gogh, whom he admired during a youthful tour of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
His art appears on a grand scale and often confronts difficult subjects with a stark, physical presence. He is associated with Neo-Expressionism and New Symbolism, and he is known for making paintings, sculptures, books, and large installations.
Key works include The Hierarchy of Angels (painting), The Secret Life of Plants (sculpture), and Grane (woodcut). One of his widely discussed works from the late 20th century examines memory, ruin, and renewal, using heavy materials and symbolic references to history.
Kiefer’s career began in the late 1960s with controversial performances and exhibitions that challenged German culture. He studied at the universities in Freiburg and Karlsruhe, working with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes. In the 1970s his art took on a monumental, myth-filled character, and he increasingly used materials chosen for their alchemical symbolism, especially lead and straw.
In 1992 he moved to France and created a vast studio complex at La Ribaute in Barjac, turning it into a Gesamtkunstwerk—an all-encompassing artistic project. Since then he has produced major works for public spaces and museums around the world. In 2007 he made a permanent installation at the Louvre, including the mural Athanor and sculptures Danae and Hortus Conclusus. He also helped inaugurate the Monumenta series at the Grand Palais in Paris the same year. In 2018 he unveiled a public sculpture, Uraeus, at Rockefeller Center in New York.
Kiefer’s work has been shown worldwide in major retrospectives and museum exhibitions. He has received several honors, including the Wolf Prize (1990) and the Praemium Imperiale (1999), and he was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (2008). He has taught as a professor of creativity at the Collège de France (2011) and continues to work across painting, sculpture, and large installations.
His works are held in many important collections, including MoMA, the Tate, the Centre Pompidou, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Met, among others. Some of his best-known pieces remain among the most expensive paintings sold at auction, reflecting his significant impact on contemporary art.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:33 (CET).