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Brünnhilde's Death

1976
Not on view
In Wagner’s version of the Nibelung saga, the lust for wealth and power conflicts with the search for love. The former is symbolized by a magic ring fashioned from gold that was stolen from the Rhine maidens; the latter is personified by the romance of the hero Siegfried and the Valkyrie Brünnhilde. Tricked by the cursed ring, the lovers die, Brünnhilde in a form of self-sacrifice atop Siegfried’s funeral pyre. In Kiefer’s drawing, watercolor and acrylic are used to represent both flame and ash, as well as the waters of the Rhine that rise up to extinguish the flames.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Brünnhilde's Death
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1976
  • Medium: India ink, watercolor, and acrylic on joined paper
  • Dimensions: 34 3/4 x 17 1/8 in. (88.3 x 43.5 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.21
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Anselm Kiefer
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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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
Wild Emperor, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor and acrylic on paper
Wild Emperor
Anselm Kiefer
1975
Essence/Ex-sistence, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor and opaque watercolor on paper
Essence/Ex-sistence
Anselm Kiefer
1975

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