ticketsMember | Make a donation

Iconoclastic Controversy

1980
Not on view
Between 1976 and 1980 Kiefer made works that take as their theme the iconoclastic controversy of the Byzantine Empire. Rooted in the Second Commandment’s prohibition of graven images, the medieval debate involved the persecution of artist-monks and the destruction of icons. Here he restaged the conflict in his studio with miniature versions of World War II tanks (one has destroyed a piece of clay in the shape of an artist’s palette), around which are inscribed the names of important figures from both sides. The image links the iconoclastic battle to the Nazi’s attack on "degenerate ‘art’" in the late 1930s, which led to the destruction of hundreds of works of modern art.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Iconoclastic Controversy
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1980
  • Medium: Black opaque watercolor and black ink on photograph
  • Dimensions: 19 7/8 x 31 3/8 in. (50.5 x 79.7 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.29
  • 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

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.