Die Kunst geht knapp nicht unter (The Art almost does not drown)

“Kiefer’s art is the unique expression of a highly personal situation prompted by his interests and consciousness and yielding images in which historic awareness, metaphysical longings and the notion of human subordinacy to existence constitute the material of the predominating question: how to render this human experience into image.” (W. Beeren, quoted in ‘Anselm Kiefer: Recuperation of History,’ in Anselm Kiefer: Bilder 1986-1980, exh. cat., Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1986-1987, p. 8)