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The Kyffhäuser

1980
Not on view
The Kyffhäuser, a forested mountain in Thuringia, is associated with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, known as Barbarossa (ca. 1123–1190). According to German legend, Barbarossa slept with his troops, horses, and arms in a limestone cave deep in the mountain, awaiting the time he would emerge to restore German greatness. During the nineteenth century, the figure of Barbarossa came to be associated with the Romantic notion of national unity. For this painted photograph, Kiefer relocated the mountain lair to his studio and added a tiny palette at the bottom of the composition, thereby suggesting it is the artist, and not a slumbering warrior, who may offer salvation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Kyffhäuser
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1980
  • Medium: Black acrylic, graphite, white opaque watercolor, and black watercolor on gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions: 11 5/8 x 15 7/8 in. (29.5 x 40.3 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.31
  • 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
Brünnhilde's Death, Anselm Kiefer German, India ink, watercolor, and acrylic on joined paper
Brünnhilde's Death
Anselm Kiefer
1976

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