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Anselm Kiefer: Early Works

Past exhibition
18 March 2022 - 3 September 2023 Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg
  • Information
  • Installation Views
  • Artworks
  • Press
  • Publication
  • Artist
  • Anselm Kiefer: Early Works will include approximately forty important and rarely seen artist books, woodcuts, watercolors and small-scale oil paintings created between 1969 and 1982. This show introduces many of the themes and subjects that have become signature to Kiefer’s work, providing an intimate and complementary context for his paintings, sculptures and installations.

  • INFORMATION

    Born in 1945 in southern Germany during the final days of the Second World War, Kiefer was among the first...

    Anselm Kiefer, Innenraum (Interior), 1982

    Born in 1945 in southern Germany during the final days of the Second World War, Kiefer was among the first generation of German artists to directly confront the country’s troubled past and national identity in the wake of the war and the Holocaust. Incorporating multi-layered references, Kiefer’s work explores how history, literature and myth can be transformed, not only in relation to the rise of the National Socialist agenda, but also as a way to understand broader universal themes of civilization, culture and spirituality. References to Norse mythology, Richard Wagner’s operas, the history of German philosophy and culture, as well as the country’s historical predilection for Romantic landscape painting are some of the recurring themes.
  • The book – as a physical form and as the principal carrier of ideas and language in the modern world...
    Anselm Kiefer, Für Jean Genet (For Jean Genet), 1969 (detail)
    The book – as a physical form and as the principal carrier of ideas and language in the modern world – has always been integral to Kiefer’s artistic production. Für Jean Genet (1969), a 24-page book including watercolors, drawings and original photographs, is one of the important early handmade books on view. It includes a number of self-portraits of Kiefer performing what he called “Occupations” – dressed in his father’s Wehrmacht uniform, parodying the Nazi “Sieg Heil” salute in front of significant monuments and locations throughout Europe, as well as in his studio. In one image, Kiefer gives the salute while facing the ocean from a rocky cliff, a reference to Casper David Friedrich’s painting, Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer (1817). Implicating himself and Friedrich in the historical narrative that exploited German cultural icons to further the Nazi agenda, Kiefer’s project recalls French writer Jean Genet’s contention that “fascism is theater.”
  • Kiefer’s watercolors also frequently merge historical moments and iconic works of literature. Margarethe-Sulamit (Margarete-Sulamith) (1981) references two figures in Paul...

    Anselm Kiefer, Margarethe-Sulamit (Margarete-Sulamith), 1981

    Kiefer’s watercolors also frequently merge historical moments and iconic works of literature. Margarethe-Sulamit (Margarete-Sulamith) (1981) references two figures in Paul Celan’s poem, Death Fugue (Todesfuge) (1944/1945). The refrain “your golden hair Margarethe, your ashen hair Sulamith” refers respectively to the German heroine of Goethe’s Faust, and the Jewish King Solomon’s lover in the Song of Songs. In this poem, Celan, who was interned in a labor camp and whose parents were murdered in a concentration camp, addresses the traumatic experience of the Holocaust. Today, Death Fugue is considered to be a refutation of philosopher Theodor Adorno’s famous claim that “to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric.” Adorno eventually regretted and retracted his statement after being impacted by the poetry of Paul Celan.
  • Kiefer is well known for inscribing passages of text onto his paintings, a characteristic that can be traced back to...

    Anselm Kiefer, Ich - Du, 1971 (detail)

    Kiefer is well known for inscribing passages of text onto his paintings, a characteristic that can be traced back to his earliest small-scale oil paintings. For example, Ich - Du (1971) is comprised of eleven parts in which unidentified pastoral landscapes are overlaid with handwritten inscriptions. Painted the year Kiefer and his first wife, Julia, moved to the mountainous region of Odenwald, the compositions are romantic German landscapes, featuring thick forests, bodies of water, and stacks of felled timber alongside expanses of sky. The autobiographical inscriptions reference Julia, and Kiefer’s soon to be born son, Daniel.
  • Kiefer began making woodcuts in 1973-74, a medium with deeply rooted associations in Germany to the history of printmaking. Wege...

    Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit - die Hermannsschlacht (Ways of Worldly Wisdom - The Battle of Hermann), 1977

    Kiefer began making woodcuts in 1973-74, a medium with deeply rooted associations in Germany to the history of printmaking. Wege der Weltweisheit - die Hermannsschlacht (Ways of Worldly Wisdom - The Battle of Hermann) (1977) makes reference to a battle in 9 CE, when the Germanic tribal leader Hermann ambushed three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest, driving the invaders out. Hermann became the original German hero and a powerful symbol for German nationalists, who during the Third Reich used his myth to proclaim the racial superiority of the so-called "Aryan" race. Kiefer’s work is a woodcut of Hermann’s portrait, entangled alongside portraits of other 18th and 19th-century poets, novelists, politicians and other prominent historical figures – as if representing a German cultural and intellectual elite. The busts are collaged together onto a background resembling a forest, with a bonfire ablaze in the center.
  • “Kiefer’s ‘paths’ through German cultural history do not establish logical or chronological connections, but instead make visible the labyrinthine, branching...

    Anselm Kiefer, Yggdrasil, 1978

    “Kiefer’s ‘paths’ through German cultural history do not establish logical or chronological connections, but instead make visible the labyrinthine, branching nature of that fateful German path. These paths are intertwined and directionless, as if to illustrate the obsolescence of the progress-oriented model of history. They establish imaginary connections between individual persons that could just as well run differently.” (Sabine Schütz, Anselm Kiefer – Geschichte als Material, Arbeiten 1969-1983, pp. 210-211)
  • Anselm Kiefer was born in 1945 in Donaueschingen, Germany. In 1993, he moved to Barjac, in the south of France,...

    Anselm Kiefer, Die Kunst geht knapp nicht unter (Art will survive its ruins), 1975

    Anselm Kiefer was born in 1945 in Donaueschingen, Germany. In 1993, he moved to Barjac, in the south of France, where he established a studio-estate that has now become a part of the Eschaton-Anselm Kiefer Foundation. Currently, Kiefer lives and works outside of Paris. He studied law, literature and linguistics before attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe, and later in Düsseldorf, during which time he had contact with Joseph Beuys. Kiefer was selected with Georg Baselitz for the West German Pavilion at the 39th Venice Biennale in 1980 and his work has since been shown in prominent solo exhibitions internationally, including at the Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (1984); Museum of Modern Art, New York (1987); Art Institute of Chicago (1987); Nationalgalerie, Berlin (1991); Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1998); Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2001); Grand Palais, Paris (2007); Guggenheim Bilbao (2007); Royal Academy of Arts, London (2014); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2015); Bibliothèque Nationale de France (2015); Albertina, Vienna (2016); NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2016); State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (2017); Rodin Museum, Paris (2017); Met Breuer, New York (2018); and Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo (2019). In 2013, the Hall Art Foundation opened a long-term installation of sculpture and paintings by Kiefer in a specifically repurposed 10,000 square-foot building on the campus of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2020 Kiefer was honored with a permanent installation of his work in the Panthéon in Paris commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron. Most recently, an exhibition of monumental works dedicated to Paul Celan was on view at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris (2021).
  • Installation Views
  • Artworks
    • Anselm Kiefer, Occupation, 1969-2016
      Anselm Kiefer, Occupation, 1969-2016
    • Anselm Kiefer, Für Jean Genet (For Jean Genet), 1969
      Anselm Kiefer, Für Jean Genet (For Jean Genet), 1969
    • Anselm Kiefer, Heroische Sinnbilder [Selbstportrait] (Heroic symbols [Self portrait]), 1970
      Anselm Kiefer, Heroische Sinnbilder [Selbstportrait] (Heroic symbols [Self portrait]), 1970
    • Anselm Kiefer, Ich - Du, 1971
      Anselm Kiefer, Ich - Du, 1971
    • Anselm Kiefer, Landschaft bei Buchen, 1971
      Anselm Kiefer, Landschaft bei Buchen, 1971
    • Anselm Kiefer, Von Oskar Wilde für Julia (From Oscar Wilde for Julia), 1973
      Anselm Kiefer, Von Oskar Wilde für Julia (From Oscar Wilde for Julia), 1973
    • Anselm Kiefer, Landschaft mit Kopf (Landscape with head), 1973
      Anselm Kiefer, Landschaft mit Kopf (Landscape with head), 1973
    • Anselm Kiefer, Untitled (U-boat), 1973
      Anselm Kiefer, Untitled (U-boat), 1973
    • Anselm Kiefer, Wald (Forest), 1973/74
      Anselm Kiefer, Wald (Forest), 1973/74
    • Anselm Kiefer, Untitled, 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Untitled, 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, How to paint nudes, 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, How to paint nudes, 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Nascita di pittura (The Birth of Painting), 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Nascita di pittura (The Birth of Painting), 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Untitled, 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Untitled, 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, The Dream King, 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, The Dream King, 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Still Life is Exciting, 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Still Life is Exciting, 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Ausbrennen des Landkreises Buchen (Burning of the Rural District of Buchen), 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Ausbrennen des Landkreises Buchen (Burning of the Rural District of Buchen), 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Das deutsche Volksgesicht. Kohle für 2000 Jahre (The Face of the German People. Coal for 2,000 Years), 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Das deutsche Volksgesicht. Kohle für 2000 Jahre (The Face of the German People. Coal for 2,000 Years), 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Untitled - Soldat (Sol invictus Heliogabal), 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Untitled - Soldat (Sol invictus Heliogabal), 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Unternehmen 'Trappenfang', 1974
      Anselm Kiefer, Unternehmen 'Trappenfang', 1974
    • Anselm Kiefer, Heliogabal (Heliogabalus), 1974/75
      Anselm Kiefer, Heliogabal (Heliogabalus), 1974/75
    • Anselm Kiefer, Die Etsch (The Adige), 1970 c.
      Anselm Kiefer, Die Etsch (The Adige), 1970 c.
    • Anselm Kiefer, Die Kunst geht knapp nicht unter (Art will survive its ruins), 1975
      Anselm Kiefer, Die Kunst geht knapp nicht unter (Art will survive its ruins), 1975
    • Anselm Kiefer, Stefan!, 1975
      Anselm Kiefer, Stefan!, 1975
    • Anselm Kiefer, Stefan II, 1975
      Anselm Kiefer, Stefan II, 1975
    • Anselm Kiefer, Brünhildes Tod (Brunhild's death), 1976
      Anselm Kiefer, Brünhildes Tod (Brunhild's death), 1976
    • Anselm Kiefer, Von Schlieffen, 1977
      Anselm Kiefer, Von Schlieffen, 1977
    • Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit: Gottfried Keller (Ways of Worldly Wisdom: Gottfried Keller), 1977
      Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit: Gottfried Keller (Ways of Worldly Wisdom: Gottfried Keller), 1977
    • Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit: Gottfried Keller (Ways of Worldly Wisdom: Gottfried Keller), 1977
      Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit: Gottfried Keller (Ways of Worldly Wisdom: Gottfried Keller), 1977
    • Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit - die Hermannsschlacht (Ways of Worldly Wisdom - The Battle of Hermann), 1977
      Anselm Kiefer, Wege der Weltweisheit - die Hermannsschlacht (Ways of Worldly Wisdom - The Battle of Hermann), 1977
    • Anselm Kiefer, Für Julia, 1977-1978
      Anselm Kiefer, Für Julia, 1977-1978
    • Anselm Kiefer, Engel mit Palette (Angel with palette), 1977-1978
      Anselm Kiefer, Engel mit Palette (Angel with palette), 1977-1978
    • Anselm Kiefer, Palette mit Flügeln (Palette with Wings), 1978
      Anselm Kiefer, Palette mit Flügeln (Palette with Wings), 1978
    • Anselm Kiefer, Yggdrasil, 1978
      Anselm Kiefer, Yggdrasil, 1978
    • Anselm Kiefer, Brünhilde Grane (Brunhild Grane), 1978
      Anselm Kiefer, Brünhilde Grane (Brunhild Grane), 1978
    • Anselm Kiefer, Ritt an die Weichsel (Ride to the Vistula), 1980-1981
      Anselm Kiefer, Ritt an die Weichsel (Ride to the Vistula), 1980-1981
    • Anselm Kiefer, Et la terre tremble encore (And the Earth Still Trembles), 1981
      Anselm Kiefer, Et la terre tremble encore (And the Earth Still Trembles), 1981
    • Anselm Kiefer, Margarethe-Sulamit (Margarete-Sulamith), 1981
      Anselm Kiefer, Margarethe-Sulamit (Margarete-Sulamith), 1981
    • Anselm Kiefer, Brünhilde (Brunhild), 1981
      Anselm Kiefer, Brünhilde (Brunhild), 1981
    • Anselm Kiefer, Urd, Werdandi, Skuld [Die Nornen] (Urd, Werdandi, Skuld [The Norns]), 1981
      Anselm Kiefer, Urd, Werdandi, Skuld [Die Nornen] (Urd, Werdandi, Skuld [The Norns]), 1981
    • Anselm Kiefer, Der Rhein (The Rhine), 1982
      Anselm Kiefer, Der Rhein (The Rhine), 1982
    • Anselm Kiefer, Innenraum (Interior), 1982
      Anselm Kiefer, Innenraum (Interior), 1982
  • Press

    • Braunschweiger Zeitung, Anselm Kiefers brennende Mythen
      Press

      Braunschweiger Zeitung

      Anselm Kiefers brennende Mythen August 31, 2023
      Derneburg. Eben wurde Kiefer mit dem Nationalpreis geehrt. Schloss Derneburg, Wolfsburgs Kunstmuseum und Goslars Mönchehaus zeigen seine Werke.
    • Evangelische Zeitung, Museen präsentieren Werke von Anselm Kiefer
      Press

      Evangelische Zeitung

      Museen präsentieren Werke von Anselm Kiefer August 1, 2023
      Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Mönchehaus Museum Goslar, Schloss Derneburg - gleich drei Museen in Niedersachsen zeigen gemeinsam Präsentationen von Kiefers Werken aus den Jahren 1969 bis 1991.
    • NDR, Kunst von Anselm Kiefer: Museen in Niedersachsen bieten Kombi-Ticket an
      Press

      NDR

      Kunst von Anselm Kiefer: Museen in Niedersachsen bieten Kombi-Ticket an August 1, 2023
    • Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Drei Museen feiern Anselm Kiefer
      Press

      Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung

      Drei Museen feiern Anselm Kiefer August 1, 2023
      Drei Museen, ein Ticket: Wolfsburg, Derneburg und Goslar würdigen mit einer besonderen Aktion das Werk von Anselm Kiefer.
    • Goslarsche Zeitung, Drei Museen zelebrieren Anselm Kiefer
      Press

      Goslarsche Zeitung

      Drei Museen zelebrieren Anselm Kiefer July 28, 2023
    • Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, Guter Kniff: Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg erweitert Anselm-Kiefer-Ausstellung
      Press

      Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung

      Guter Kniff: Kunstmuseum Schloss Derneburg erweitert Anselm-Kiefer-Ausstellung July 23, 2023
    • Das Magazin, Was macht das Lebenlebenswert?
      Press

      Das Magazin

      Was macht das Lebenlebenswert? August 27, 2022
      Für unseren Kolumnisten ist es das Bild von einem Brot, einem Apfel und einem Krug Wasser.
    • Handelsblatt, Ausstellungsmarathon im Schloss Derneburg
      Press

      Handelsblatt

      Ausstellungsmarathon im Schloss Derneburg May 5, 2022
      Mit acht Ausstellungen gleichzeitig will der Sammler Andrew Hall beweisen, welches Potenzial in seinem Schloss Derneburg bei Hildesheim steckt.
    • Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Mythen der Geschichte: Bilder von Anselm Kiefer auf Schloss Derneburg
      Press

      Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung

      Die Mythen der Geschichte: Bilder von Anselm Kiefer auf Schloss Derneburg April 13, 2022
    • Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, Hermannsschlacht und Holocaust
      Press

      Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung

      Hermannsschlacht und Holocaust March 22, 2022
  • Publications
    • Anselm Kiefer

      Anselm Kiefer

      Frühwerk 2022-23
      Hardcover 197 pages
      Publisher: Hall Art Foundation
      ISBN: 979-8-9851451-3-7
      Dimensions: 20 x 28 cm
      Read more
    • Anselm Kiefer

      Anselm Kiefer

      Works from the Hall Collection 2017
      Hardcover 240 pages
      Publisher: Skira Rizzoli Publications
      ISBN: 978-0-8478-6053-1
      Dimensions: 11 x 10 inches
      Read more
  • Installation views: Roman März
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