YEAR 12 ATAR VISUAL ART
Anselm Kiefer
ANSELM KIEFER
(Anselm Kiefer, n.d.)
INTRODUCTION
Anselm Kiefer ((born March 8, 1945), is a German painter, sculptor, photographer and installation artist, who is most known for his subject matter dealing with German history and myth, particularly as it relates to the Holocaust. He became one of the most prominent figures in the Neo-Expressionist art movement of the late 20th century.
This guide provides resources for the Year 12 ATAR Visual Art study on Anselm Kiefer.
Created by: Ms Bright | Last updated: February, 2026
ANSELM KIEFER AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS (VIDEO)
Royal Academy of Arts. (2014, August 2). Anselm Kiefer at the Royal Academy of Arts [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8qEQlqpcVE&t=76s
The Artist
Below you will find a range of biographical sources of information about Anselm Kiefer.
ART GALLERY WEBSITES
Alteveer, I. (2008). Anselm Kiefer (born 1945). In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kief/hd_kief.htm
Anselm Keifer. (n.d.). https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/anselm-kiefer-1406
Anselm Keifer. (n.d.). https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/anselm-kiefer
Other galleries:
The Broad
Gagosian
Royal Academy of Arts
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
OTHER WEBSITES
Anselm Kiefer. (2015). https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kiefer-anselm/
This highly recommended resource provides biographical information about the artist, as well as brief summaries of some of his important artworks and links to other useful resources.
L.C. (2021). Anselm Kiefer. Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, The Ohio State University. https://aaep1600.osu.edu/book/19_Kiefer.php
Anselm Kiefer belongs to the group of artists known as the Neo-expressionists because of his use of familiar images to express his concerns and beliefs in a narrative fashion.
NEWS ARTICLES
O’Hagen, S. (2019, Novemeber 25). Anselm Kiefer: ‘When I make a truly great painting, then I feel real.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/nov/25/anselm-kiefer-when-i-make-a-truly-great-painting-then-i-feel-real
Fifty years ago he outraged his fellow Germans with Nazi salutes. Now, at 74, the artist’s epic canvases are exploring a different kind of darkness.
Artworks
GENERAL
Anselm Kiefer Artworks. (2015). https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kiefer-anselm/artworks/
McNay, A. (2014, November 5). Anselm Kiefer. Studio National. https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/anselm-kiefer-retrospective-royal-academy-of-arts-london
Lydecker, K., Jepson, M., and Clarke, J. (n.d). Anslem Kiefer. https://www.artic.edu/assets/247c6605-682f-8afa-c860-d255eeb4ed05
This is an exhibition brochure from The Art Institute of Chicago. It features the following artworks: Jerusalem, Ways of Wordly Wisdom, Shulamite, The Book, Icarus – March Sand, Cockchafer Fly, and Iris and Osiris.
SFMOMA. (2020, December 21). An interview with Anselm Kiefer. In Smarthistory. https://smarthistory.org/an-interview-with-anselm-kiefer-2/
MY PAINTINGS CHANGE
German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer discusses the meanings behind some of his favorite materials, including straw, cow manure, and lead. He describes how he strives for fluidity and malleability in his work, though conservation can be a challenge.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (2019, March 29). Anselm Kiefer: “My paintings change” [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HaWt0tuPErU
HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY
Surrounded by his paintings in SFMOMA’s galleries, German artist Anselm Kiefer describes the challenges and significance of exploring the past in his work. He highlights the subjective, emotional nature of both history and art.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (2019, February 1). Anselm Kiefer: History is a clay [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dPEcPn85D8w
MARGARETHE AND SULAMITH
Short clip from BBC Imagine, Anselm Kiefer Remembering the Future, broadcast November 2014. Discussion of Margarete and Sulamith – works influenced by Paul Celan’s ‘Death Fugue’.
Gerry Cordon. (2014, November 23). Imagine Anselm Kiefer: Margarete and Sulamith [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7oowjl3zW88
Hubbard, S. (2008, October 24). Saatchi Collection. The Independent. https://gagosian.com/media/gallery/press/2008/8c9c561d227918
e53ede5ce0d9ddf607.pdf
The theme of Celan’s poem has been a preoccupation of the German artist Anselm Kiefer, for whom Margarete and Shulamite have become the metaphoric protagonists in a series of paintings, of which Margarete (1981) is the concluding work.
SFMOMA. (n.d.). Margarethe. https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/FC.595/
SFMOMA. (n.d.). Sulamith. https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/FC.598/
Taylor, R. (n.d.). Anselm Kiefer, Shulamite. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/global-culture/concepts-in-art-1980-to-now/x247213a3:cold-war-germany-and-after/a/anselm-kiefer-shulamite
All of the canonical elements of Kiefer’s work are present in Shulamite…
BOHEMIA LIES BY THE SEA
The conservator’s eye: Anselm Kiefer, Bohemia Lies by the Sea, 1996, oil, emulsion, shellac, charcoal, and powdered paint on burlap, 75 1/4 in. × 18 ft. 5 inches / 191.1 × 561.3 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Speakers: Corey D’Augustine and Steven Zucker.
Khan Academy. (n.d.). Bohemia lies by the sea. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/global-culture/concepts-in-art-1980-to-now/x247213a3:cold-war-germany-and-after/v/the-conservators-eye-anselm-kiefer-bohemia-lies-by-the-sea
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). Bohemia Lies by the sea. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/486996
Context & Style
Wolf, J. (2014). Neo-Expressionism. https://www.theartstory.org/movement/neo-expressionism/history-and-concepts/
The Neo-Expressionist artists depicted their subjects in an almost raw and brutish manner, newly resurrecting in their frequently large-scale works, the highly textural and expressive brushwork and intense colors that had been rejected by the immediately preceding art movements.
Savenko, S. (2020, October 14). Anselm Kiefer’s Haunting Approach to Third Reich Architecture. The Collector. https://www.thecollector.com/anselm-kiefer-third-reich-architecture-approach/
Although learning about the Third Reich is now common, in Germany, it wasn’t always so. Anselm Kiefer’s artwork examines Nazi Germany’s architectural relics in order to confront their complicated histories.
Wider Reading & Viewing
Wolf, J. (2014). Neo-Expressionism. https://www.theartstory.org/movement/neo-expressionism/history-and-concepts/
The Neo-Expressionist artists depicted their subjects in an almost raw and brutish manner, newly resurrecting in their frequently large-scale works, the highly textural and expressive brushwork and intense colors that had been rejected by the immediately preceding art movements.
Rosenthal, M. (1987). Anselm Kiefer. Art Institute of Chicago. https://assets.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_2143_300062878.pdf
Offers a profile of the German artist, shows examples of his paintings and photographs, and discusses his approach to art.
References
Anselm Kiefer [Photography]. (n.d.). https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kiefer-anselm/