Anselm Kiefer

Galleria Lia Rumma, Naples/Milan
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Turin, Castello di Rivoli - Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, 2004 - 2005 (long term loan)
Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, 2007 - 2014 (long term loan)
Museo di Arte Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, La Magnifica Ossessione, October 2012 - October 2013 

This work is in very good condition overall. The metal surface is irregularly shaped and bent along the edges, which is inherent to the artist's working method. There are a few areas of lifting paint, the most noticeable of which is in the bottom left quadrant, approximately 35 inches from the left edge and 33 inches from the bottom edge. There are some minor areas of paint loss on the attached branches. Unframed.
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.
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“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

This vast work, Wassermann (Aquarius, the constellation) (2001), effectively encapsulates Kiefer’s oeuvre in creating an absolute circularity between the energy that transforms matter and memory, which is the incandescent substance of history and of human nature. Incrusted with chromatic islands of acrylic upon warped lead, thorny branches and a vast network of cosmic numbers and letters, the corporeality of Wassermann’s appearance recounts the processes of Kiefer's expressive technique while conjuring up syncretic awareness between time and thoughts that are only seemingly far removed. The forlornly lifeless, dense bundling of branches hanging down in the center of the work provocatively triggers an interplay with the cosmic network from which their bases stem. The skeletal branches, which are coated with a thick skin of white paint – effectively bleaching them of any sign of life, stem from the same central point as the network of lines and numbers do over the astral surface of the canvas. On first appearance these scrawled numbers and words appear to be cities and coordinates eerily mapped over the fragmented and crumbling post-war German landscape. However, it becomes apparent quickly that this is in fact a web of stars – appropriately stemming from the scribbled “ANCHA,” the medieval Latin name for a star in the equatorial constellation of Aquarius for “the haunch.” Above this, we see “SADALMELIK” – derived from Arabic for "Luck of the king."

Demonstrated so effectively in Wassermann is Kiefer’s perpetual questioning of the place of humans in the cosmos itself. Through the extensive materials and references to alchemical processes that he employs in works such as this, his work successfully challenges our comprehension of reality and the effect we have on it. Throughout his life, Kiefer has devoted himself to exploring the interlaced patterns of German history, mythology, literature, identity, and architecture, time after time creating all-encompassing works whose surfaces are as complex and multi-layered, as their subjects are fragmented and overpowering.