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Big Iron Fist, Germany

ca. 1980–81
Not on view
Kiefer recycled his 1969 self-portraits for new works related to the theme of transformation, as conveyed, for example, in the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh and the Russian Cubo-Futurist poetry of Velimir Khlebnikov (1885–1922). Among his many distinctions, Khlebnikov devised a suprarational, transcendental language termed zaum (or "beyonsense") that was inspirational for artists such as Kazimir Malevich and Vladimir Tatlin. Kiefer read Khlebnikov’s poetry and was attracted to his invention of what the artist called a "huge system, with numbers, about history and battles and wars." The title of this work relates to a debate in West Germany in the early 1980s about increasing contributions for NATO tanks.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Big Iron Fist, Germany
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: ca. 1980–81
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor and acrylic on gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions: 32 3/4 × 23 1/8 in. (83.2 × 58.7 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.37
  • 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
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

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