Anselm Kiefer

Thank god for Anselm Kiefer. While much contemporary art struggles with relevance, skill or impact, Kiefer’s art hits you like a bulldozer. With video interview.

Guggenheim
Seraphim is part of Kiefer’s Angel series, which treats the theme of spiritual salvation by fire, an ancient belief perverted by the Nazis in their quest for an exclusively Aryan nation. In this painting, a ladder connects a landscape to the sky. At its base, a serpent—symbolizing a fallen angel—refers to the prevalence of evil on earth. According to the Doctrine of Celestial Hierarchy, a 5th-century text, the seraphim “purify through fire and burnt offering…”

Works in the Tate collection

Explore four decades of art by Anselm Kiefer, including paintings, sculptures, books, and works on paper that reflect the artist’s career-long meditation on the relationship between heaven and earth.

Works on paper