Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer is one of the foremost figures of post-war painting. This exhibition, the largest of the artist’s in the UK for many years, will span forty years of his work. Major paintings will be presented over two floors of BALTIC's galleries, alongside the monumental installation Palmsonntag. The works on display are drawn from the Tate Collection and ARTIST ROOMS; a national collection of contemporary international art jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland.

The starting point for Kiefer's work is an enduring fascination with myth, history, theology, philosophy and literature. For many years his painting was a means to come to terms with his native Germany’s past. More recently the subject of the artist's work has become ever concerned with religious traditions and the symbolism of different cultures. Kiefer's weighty subject matters are reflected in the monumental size of many of his works – their scale is such that many fill the viewer's field of vision. .

Kiefer's keen exploration of unorthodox materials – lead, ash, rope and human hair – bring an emotional potency and move his painting into the realm of sculpture. Among the works to be included in the exhibition are three paintings from the artist's early Parsifal series (1973), drawn from Richard Wagner’s last opera of the same name. In Palette 1981, Kiefer revealed the problematic legacy inherited by artists in post-war Germany: the artist's palette hangs from a single burning thread evoking shame, loss and the apparent impossibility of artistic creation. .   ARTIST ROOMS On Tour is an inspired partnership with the Art Fund – the national fundraising charity for art, and the Scottish Government, making the ARTIST ROOMS collection of international contemporary art available to galleries throughout the UK. ARTIST ROOMS is jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland and was established through The d'Offay Donation in 2008, with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund and the Scottish and British Governments.

Anselm Kiefer
ARTIST ROOMS On Tour with the Art Fund