Anselm Kiefer Quotes about Art

Anselm Kiefer is German painter and sculptor known for his large scale paintings. Many of his works use a limited palette, various mediums, and three dimensional objects like a propeller, lead ships, or tree branches. He produces paintings, prints, sculpture, and installations. Famous Anselm Kiefer artworks include “Faith, Hope, Love”, “Nigredo”, “Die Orden der Nacht”, “Abendland (Twilight of the West)”, and “Interior (Innenraum)”.

Mini biography: Born Anselm Kiefer on the 8th of March, 1945 in Donaueschingen, Germany. His mother was Cilly Kiefer and his father was Albert Kiefer. He was married twice, including to Austrian photographer Renate Graf with whom he had two children with. Anselm Kiefer lives and works in France.

Check out these books on Anselm Kiefer: “Anselm Kiefer: A Monograph“, “Anselm Kiefer Studios“, and “Anselm Kiefer Paintings“.

Anselm Kiefer Art Quotes

A painting is a conglomeration of failings. But, we can say this of life also. Anselm Kiefer

Boredom is the beginning of philosophy. If you are active, you do not reflect. Anselm Kiefer

Art cannot help directly. Art is the way to make it obvious. Art is cynical, it shows the negativity of the world, it’s the first condemnation. Anselm Kiefer

I’m interested in reconstructing symbols. It’s about connecting with an older knowledge and trying to discover continuities in why we search for heaven. Anselm Kiefer

Finished is a difficult word. Sometimes I think a work is finished, and then five years later I start it again. Anselm Kiefer

The reason for this project comes from my childhood, that is clear to me. I did not have any toys. So, I played in the bricks of ruined buildings around me and with which I built houses. Anselm Kiefer

Poems are like buoys in the sea. I swim from one to the next; in between, without them, I am lost. Anselm Kiefer

I believe art has to take responsibility but it should not give up being art. Anselm Kiefer

The book, the idea of a book or the image of a book, is a symbol of learning, of transmitting knowledge.. I make my own books to find my way through the old stories. Anselm Kiefer

Buying art is not understanding art. Anselm Kiefer

Matisse, he celebrates, but I see through this – to desperation. Anselm Kiefer

Alchemy is not to make gold, the real alchemist is not interested in material things but in transubstantiation, in transforming the spirit. It’s a spiritual thing more than a material thing. An alchemist puts the phenomena of the world in another context. Anselm Kiefer

The artist is an iconoclast, he or she destroys all the time. There is art and anti-art. If the artist is not an iconoclast then he is not really an artist. You can see it through the history of art. I destroy what I do all the time. Anselm Kiefer

If you ask writers, they will tell you that all the material they have comes from their childhood. The same is true for me. Anselm Kiefer

When knowledge becomes rigid, it stops living. Anselm Kiefer

Art is even closer to the truth. It is truth. Anselm Kiefer

What interests me is the transformation, not the monument. I don’t construct ruins, but I feel ruins are moments when things show themselves. A ruin is not a catastrophe. It is the moment when things can start again. Anselm Kiefer

The making of a painting is a reflection of your thought process but it also has a process of its own. Always, it is about somewhere I am trying to get to that I can never get to. This is the dilemma. But you also reach a place of transformation. The painting is transformed and you are transformed also. This is the exciting part. Anselm Kiefer

Critics say that I am an artist who always wants to overwhelm people. But, no, it is I who am overwhelmed. And, if I am not, something is wrong. Anselm Kiefer

Art is difficult. It’s not entertainment. There are only a few people who can say something about art.. it’s very restricted. Anselm Kiefer

I do not paint because the canvas is empty or because I have nothing else to do. I start painting when I have a shock. When I am overwhelmed by something that moves me, something that is greater than me. It can be a real experience with a person, a landscape, a music piece or with a poem. Anselm Kiefer

I remember in the 70s and 80s, you would have discussions with your collectors. You could tell if they thought a painting was shit. This is good for an artist to know, because if someone you respect says a painting is shit, you must reflect. Anselm Kiefer

Perhaps I should have been a poet or a writer. You can never be sure because you make mistakes but the mistake becomes reality. Anselm Kiefer

More on German Artist Anselm Kiefer

How has Anselm Kiefer influenced your art making? His installation works and sculpture interest me a little but it’s his paintings that I love most. Let us know what you think about Anselm Kiefer in the comments below.

For more on the popular German artist here’s three excellent Anselm Kiefer books: “Anselm Kiefer: A Monograph“, “Anselm Kiefer Studios“, and “Anselm Kiefer Paintings“.