Des Malers Atelier

The early 1980s were a key period in Anselm Kiefer's career, marking the beginning of his appreciation as one of the most important artists of his generation. Representing Germany in the 39th Venice Biennale in 1980, Kiefer exhibited a controversial series of works that contronted Germany's past, including Germany's Spiritual Heroes (1973). The paintings generally consisted of wooded interior spaces, inhabited by allegorical objects, such as bursts of flame, swords or snakes. The recessed space of Des Malers Atelier relate it to that landmark series of interior paintings, in which Kiefer combines with a series of swirling gestural forms that