Anselm Kiefer

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. The cracking and surface inconsistencies to the plaster background appear to be inherent to the artist's working method. The paint on the branches has flaked slightly in some areas, but appears stable. Framed in a bronze and glass box.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Drawing inspiration from literature, Kabbalah, the Old and New Testament, Anselm Kiefer questions the foundations of humanity and the traumas of contemporary history, including the question of German identity after the Holocaust. Kiefer frequently employs a wide array of materials in his paintings - paintings which are equally as varied in their thematic direction and subject matter as they are in their composition and creation.  His use of multiple media in a single painting blurs the line between painting and sculpture, while causing us to question our own ability to negotiate the physical realm in a coherent fashion and unified sense of time within space. This work, Dimanche des Rameaux, from 2007 is an intimate and touching example of Kiefer’s ability to comment on both historical and religious events in an original and insightful fashion. 

Dimanche des Rameaux consists of two palm leaves, painted white, that rest upon a taupe, ochre, and black background made of earth and plaster. The words “Dimanche des Rameaux” (Palm Sunday) are written on the canvas. The palms are imbued with great religious significance and have been acknowledged as having an inherent strength and ability to defy death. The ability of religion to bridge the ethereal and cosmic with our own empirical understanding of our surroundings has given rise to an incredible array of cosmologies and belief systems.  Anselm Kiefer, in the model of a classical historical painter, utilizes these belief systems to inform his work but does so in a particularly contemporaneous fashion. 

Taking the grounds of Palm Sunday, Kiefer reinvests the imagination of the festival that marks the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The contrast between the triumphal entry and the ordeal ahead is transcribed by playing with palm leaves soaked in plaster, which then create striking material effects. Indeed, Kiefer continuously puts at his disposal an arsenal of materials such as branches, hair, sand, poetry, whether they are scientific or mystical, as a series of strata clinging to support the work. Seen through the lens of Kiefer’s own history and that of Germany in the 20th century, what we see is an artist grappling with the concept of life, death, and ultimately redemption and resurrection.