# Anselm Kiefer artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/anselm-kiefer/
Profile generated: 2026-05-07T18:12:08.247Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1945-03-08
- Nationality: German
- Movements: Neo-Expressionism, New Symbolism
- Common media: Oil painting with mixed materials (straw, ash, clay, shellac), Lead sculpture and lead-sheet works, Assemblage and collage, Installation

## About Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer (born March 8, 1945, Donaueschingen, Germany) is a German painter, sculptor, and assemblage artist whose large-scale works confront German history, the trauma of the Holocaust, and the search for spiritual meaning. He studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and later with Joseph Beuys at the Düsseldorf Academy. Kiefer emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s with provocative paintings and photographed performances referencing Germanic myth and the legacy of the Third Reich. Over subsequent decades his practice expanded into monumental mixed-media paintings layered with straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac, as well as lead-sculpture installations and artist books. The poetry of Paul Celan and the mystical traditions of Kabbalah have been enduring influences. Kiefer's work is held by major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, Tate, and the Centre Pompidou. He represented Germany at the 1980 Venice Biennale and has received the Wolf Prize and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most commonly encounter Kiefer's large-scale oil paintings incorporating straw, ash, and shellac on canvas or board; lead-sheet sculptures and lead books; woodcuts (including multi-panel sequences); collages and assemblages combining photography, text, and found materials; illustrated artist books; and installation works. Prints and multiples appear regularly at auction and provide a more accessible entry point into the artist's market.

## Market and appraisal context

Anselm Kiefer is among the most prominent post-war European artists at auction. His monumental mixed-media paintings and lead sculptures anchor the high end of his market, while woodcuts, artist books, and works on paper appear more frequently and at lower price points. Valuation depends on scale, medium, provenance, exhibition history, and condition—especially because his signature organic materials (straw, ash, shellac) are inherently unstable and require careful condition assessment. Institutional provenance from museums such as MoMA, Tate, or the Centre Pompidou significantly strengthens value. Buyers should verify authenticity through gallery or estate documentation, as studio assistants participate in the production of his large-scale works.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from library authority files and major museum records with auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Biographical claims are grounded in sources such as the Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress, the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), the Museum of Modern Art, and Tate.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170344
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_Kiefer
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500047395
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/95995437/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79035655
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3086
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/anselm-kiefer-1406
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/44264