ticketsMember | Make a donation

My Father Pledged Me a Sword

1974–75
Not on view
Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s Kiefer made numerous works related to Richard Wagner (1813–1883), the composer who celebrated German nationalism and was later glorified by Adolf Hitler. Kiefer has been fascinated by the way art can be appropriated and sometimes misused, and the disdain that history can accord figures such as Wagner. The inspiration for this work is Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), part of the composer’s opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung, which is based on medieval Icelandic mythological literature (the Edda in Old Norse) and Germanic folklore. The sword referenced in the title is Nothung ("needful"), the weapon thrust into a great ash tree by Wotan, chief of the gods.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: My Father Pledged Me a Sword
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1974–75
  • Medium: Watercolor, opaque watercolor and black ballpoint pen on paper
  • Dimensions: 11 1/8 × 8 1/16 in. (28.3 × 20.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.14
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Anselm Kiefer
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Morgenthau Plan, Anselm Kiefer German, Acrylic, emulsion, oil, and shellac on inkjet prints mounted on canvas
Morgenthau Plan
Anselm Kiefer
2012
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom, Anselm Kiefer German, Gouache, sand, ash and charcoal on two torn and pasted photographs
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom
Anselm Kiefer
2000
Autumn Forest, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor, opaque watercolor, and graphite on papers
Autumn Forest
Anselm Kiefer
1970
Your Golden Hair, Margarete, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor, gouache, and acrylic on paper
Your Golden Hair, Margarete
Anselm Kiefer
1980
Wild Emperor, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor and acrylic on paper
Wild Emperor
Anselm Kiefer
1975

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.