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Lot Essay
‘What does the artist do? He draws connections. He ties the invisible threads between things. He dives into history, be it the history of mankind, the geological history of the Earth or the beginning and end of the manifest cosmos.’
– Anselm Kiefer
Fluttering against an unseen force, a single robe hangs enigmatically in Anselm Kiefer’s Das goldene Vlies (The Golden Fleece), 2006. Ghostly and ethereal, the gown is suspended, floating beneath the watery glass, as ribbons of gold leaf glimmer in the light. Chalky traces faintly allude to an absent body, and like a wintery frost, swirls of lead form crystalline patterns against the glass, threatening to engulf the delicate dress. Kiefer’s title refers to the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, an age-old example of the masculine hero’s quest; by focussing on the diaphanous garment, Kiefer foregrounds the tragic female drama so often consigned to the footnotes of the story. Kiefer’s practice probes ideas of memory, destruction and retribution; referencing the Bible, the Greek gods, and ancient Egypt, among others, myths bridge the celestial and the earthly, providing a vocabulary for apprehending the present. For the artist, ‘myths still possess their power: they re-enchant the world by allowing us to perceive the ever-present action of timeless forces’ (D. Arasse, Anselm Kiefer, New York, 2015, p. 190). Yet these works are never simply a re-presentation of ancient stories; rather, Kiefer engages with the cultural functions of myth, ‘how myth can never escape history, and how history in turn has to rely on mythic images’ (A. Huyssen, ‘Anselm Kiefer: The Terror of History, the Temptation of Myth’, October, Vol. 48, Spring 1989, p. 27).
The story of the Golden Fleece is an archetypical quest for the impossible: to win back his kingdom, Jason must steal the fleece of a golden ram, protected by King Aietes in the distant land of Colchis. On their quest to the outer bounds of Greek civilization, Jason and his band of strongmen, the Argonauts, repeatedly risk and triumph over peril. Landing on the rocky shores of Colchis, they are confronted by otherworldly obstacles – snarling fire-breathing bulls, a thousand-strong army of automatons, an eternally wakeful dragon. Their success hinges on female intervention – unbeknownst to the king, his daughter Medea has struck a pact with Jason, betraying her family in exchange for returning with him to Greece. When the two finally succeed, and Jason retakes his kingdom, Medea’s place as the victorious queen and the embodiment of triumph should be assured; however, Jason soon forgets his promise, choosing a new bride in her stead. A vengeful Medea sends a wedding gift – a sorcerous robe and golden coronet, which, once worn by the new queen, poison her.
By choosing to focus on the form of this robe, Kiefer’s Das goldene Vlies plays up the themes of female power and retribution, recalling the historical motif of the poisoned garments associated with Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I. In his efforts to convert linen and lead into the mystical and symbolical, Kiefer’s power lies in the alchemical: ‘Alchemy’, says the artist, ‘is not to make gold, the real alchemist is not interested in material things but in transubstantiation, in transforming the spirit’ (A. Kiefer quoted in J. Wullschlager, ‘Interview with Anselm Kiefer, ahead of his Royal Academy show’, Financial Times, September 19, 2014). Myth itself is fundamentally alchemical, a transformation of the everyday into the eternal, the threads of history pulled into the present. Das goldene Vlies is a surrender to the past world and a token for things to come.
– Anselm Kiefer
Fluttering against an unseen force, a single robe hangs enigmatically in Anselm Kiefer’s Das goldene Vlies (The Golden Fleece), 2006. Ghostly and ethereal, the gown is suspended, floating beneath the watery glass, as ribbons of gold leaf glimmer in the light. Chalky traces faintly allude to an absent body, and like a wintery frost, swirls of lead form crystalline patterns against the glass, threatening to engulf the delicate dress. Kiefer’s title refers to the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, an age-old example of the masculine hero’s quest; by focussing on the diaphanous garment, Kiefer foregrounds the tragic female drama so often consigned to the footnotes of the story. Kiefer’s practice probes ideas of memory, destruction and retribution; referencing the Bible, the Greek gods, and ancient Egypt, among others, myths bridge the celestial and the earthly, providing a vocabulary for apprehending the present. For the artist, ‘myths still possess their power: they re-enchant the world by allowing us to perceive the ever-present action of timeless forces’ (D. Arasse, Anselm Kiefer, New York, 2015, p. 190). Yet these works are never simply a re-presentation of ancient stories; rather, Kiefer engages with the cultural functions of myth, ‘how myth can never escape history, and how history in turn has to rely on mythic images’ (A. Huyssen, ‘Anselm Kiefer: The Terror of History, the Temptation of Myth’, October, Vol. 48, Spring 1989, p. 27).
The story of the Golden Fleece is an archetypical quest for the impossible: to win back his kingdom, Jason must steal the fleece of a golden ram, protected by King Aietes in the distant land of Colchis. On their quest to the outer bounds of Greek civilization, Jason and his band of strongmen, the Argonauts, repeatedly risk and triumph over peril. Landing on the rocky shores of Colchis, they are confronted by otherworldly obstacles – snarling fire-breathing bulls, a thousand-strong army of automatons, an eternally wakeful dragon. Their success hinges on female intervention – unbeknownst to the king, his daughter Medea has struck a pact with Jason, betraying her family in exchange for returning with him to Greece. When the two finally succeed, and Jason retakes his kingdom, Medea’s place as the victorious queen and the embodiment of triumph should be assured; however, Jason soon forgets his promise, choosing a new bride in her stead. A vengeful Medea sends a wedding gift – a sorcerous robe and golden coronet, which, once worn by the new queen, poison her.
By choosing to focus on the form of this robe, Kiefer’s Das goldene Vlies plays up the themes of female power and retribution, recalling the historical motif of the poisoned garments associated with Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I. In his efforts to convert linen and lead into the mystical and symbolical, Kiefer’s power lies in the alchemical: ‘Alchemy’, says the artist, ‘is not to make gold, the real alchemist is not interested in material things but in transubstantiation, in transforming the spirit’ (A. Kiefer quoted in J. Wullschlager, ‘Interview with Anselm Kiefer, ahead of his Royal Academy show’, Financial Times, September 19, 2014). Myth itself is fundamentally alchemical, a transformation of the everyday into the eternal, the threads of history pulled into the present. Das goldene Vlies is a surrender to the past world and a token for things to come.