Anselm Kiefer is a German painter, sculptor, photographer, and installation artist whose work explores themes of history, memory, mythology, identity, and the cultural legacy of war. Widely regarded as one of the most influential contemporary artists of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Kiefer is known for monumental works that confront Germany's National Socialist past, the Holocaust, religion, literature, and philosophy. Although primarily recognized as a painter, photography has played a crucial role in his artistic practice, serving both as an independent medium and as a conceptual tool for documenting performances, constructing narratives, and informing his paintings and installations.
By the 1980s and 1990s, Kiefer had become one of the leading figures of Neo-Expressionism and contemporary art. His work was exhibited at major international institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Royal Academy of Arts, and he represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1980. His ambitious exploration of history, identity, and collective memory established him as one of the most intellectually influential artists of his generation.