Anselm Kiefer Quotes

German painter and sculptor (born 1945)

Anselm Kiefer (born March 8, 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Joseph Beuys during the 1970s. His works incorporate materials like straw, ash, clay, lead and shellac. His body of work argues with the past and addresses taboo and controversial issues from recent history, such as themes from Nazi rule.

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Alternative Names: Anselm Keifer • Anselm Karl Albert Kiefer • Kiefer • A. Kiefer • Kiefer, Anselm Karl Albert

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I perceive existentialism as a necessity of decision. This is the essential aspect of existentialism and simultaneously the most subversive factor..

Kandinsky was connected with Die Brücke and the Blue Rider: they had a concept and created a reality. But I prefer Jean Fautrier [French painter-artist; 1898 - 1965] with his suffering and self-absorption. And his purpose on bringing about changes was just as strong. As a result I see in Fautrier a stronger paradigm than in Kandinsky..

What fascinates me about Duchamp is the idea of tearing down the wall between the art object and reality.

What interests me is the transformation, not the monument. I don't construct ruins, but I feel ruins are moments when things show themselves. A ruin is not a catastrophe. It is the moment when things can start again.

When knowledge becomes rigid, it stops living.