Lena Kiefer Popular Books

Lena Kiefer Biography & Facts

Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan have played a role in developing Kiefer's themes of German history and the horrors of the Holocaust, as have the spiritual concepts of Kabbalah. In his entire body of work, Kiefer argues with the past and addresses taboo and controversial issues from recent history. Themes from Nazi rule are particularly reflected in his work; for instance, the painting Margarethe (oil and straw on canvas) was inspired by Celan's well-known poem "Todesfuge" ("Death Fugue"). His works are characterised by an unflinching willingness to confront his culture's dark past, and unrealised potential, in works that are often done on a large, confrontational scale well suited to the subjects. It is also characteristic of his work to find signatures and names of people of historical importance, legendary figures or historical places. All of these are encoded sigils through which Kiefer seeks to process the past; this has resulted in his work being linked with the movements New Symbolism and Neo–Expressionism.Kiefer has lived and worked in France since 1992. Since 2008, he has lived and worked primarily in Paris. In 2018, he was awarded Austrian citizenship. Personal life and career The son of a German art teacher, Kiefer was born in Donaueschingen a few months before the end of World War II. His city having been heavily bombed, Kiefer grew up surrounded by the devastation of the war. In 1951, his family moved to Ottersdorf, and he attended public school in Rastatt, graduating high school in 1965. He studied at the University of Freiburg, studying pre-law and Romance languages. However, after three semesters he switched to art, studying at art academies in Freiburg and Karlsruhe. In Karlsruhe, he studied under Peter Dreher, a realist and figurative painter. He received an art degree in 1969.In 1971 Kiefer moved to Hornbach (Walldürn) and established a studio. He remained in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis until 1992; his output during this first creative time is known as The German Years. In 1992 he relocated to France.Kiefer left his first wife and children in Germany on his move to Barjac in 1992. From 2008 he lived in Paris, in a large house in the Marais district, with his second wife, the Austrian photographer Renate Graf, and their two children. Kiefer and Graf divorced in 2014.In 2017, Kiefer was ranked one of the richest 1,001 individuals and families in Germany by the monthly business publication Manager Magazin.Kiefer is the subject of the 3D documentary film Anselm (2023), directed by Wim Wenders. Artistic process Generally, Kiefer attributes traditional mythology, books, and libraries as his main subjects and sources of inspiration. In his middle years, his inspiration came from literary figures, namely Paul Celan and Ingeborg Bachmann. His later works incorporate themes from Judeo-Christian, ancient Egyptian, and Oriental cultures, which he combines with other motifs. Cosmogony is also a large focus in his works. In all, Kiefer searches for the meaning of existence and "representation of the incomprehensible and the non-representational." Philosophy Kiefer values a "spiritual connection" with the materials he works with, "extracting the spirit that already lives within [them]." In doing so, he transforms his materials with acid baths and physical blows with sticks and axes, among other processes.He often chooses materials for their alchemical properties—lead in particular. Kiefer's initial attraction to lead arose when he had to repair aging pipes in the first house he owned. Eventually, he came to admire its physical and sensory qualities and began to discover more about its connection to alchemy. Physically, Kiefer specifically likes how the metal looks during the heating and melting process when he sees many colors, especially gold, which he associates to the symbolic gold sought by alchemists.Kiefer's use of straw in his work represents energy. He claims this is due to straw's physical qualities, including the color gold and its release of energy and heat when burned. The resulting ash makes way for new creation, thus echoing the motifs of transformation and the cycle of life.Kiefer also values the balance between order and chaos in his work, stating, "[I]f there is too much order, [the piece] is dead; or if there is much chaos, it doesn't cohere." In addition, he cares deeply about the space in which his works reside. He states that his works "lose their power completely" if put in the wrong spaces. Work Photography Kiefer began his career creating performances and documenting them in photographs titled Occupations and Heroische Sinnbilder (Heroic Symbols). Dressed in his father's Wehrmacht uniform, Kiefer mimicked the Nazi salute in various locations in France, Switzerland and Italy. He asked Germans to remember and to acknowledge the loss to their culture through the mad xenophobia of the Third Reich. In 1969, at Galerie am Kaiserplatz, Karlsruhe, he presented his first single exhibition "Besetzungen (Occupations)" with a series of photographs of controversial political actions. Painting and sculpture Kiefer is best known for his paintings, which have grown increasingly large in scale with additions of lead, broken glass, and dried flowers or plants. This results in encrusted surfaces and thick layers of impasto.By 1970, while studying informally under Joseph Beuys at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, his stylistic leanings resembled Georg Baselitz's approach. He worked with glass, straw, wood and plant parts. The use of these materials meant that his art works became temporary and fragile, as Kiefer himself was well aware; he also wanted to showcase the materials in such a way that they were not disguised and could be represented in their natural form. The fragility of his work contrasts with the stark subject matter in his paintings. This use of familiar materials to express ideas was influenced by Beuys, who used fat and carpet felt in his works. It is also typical of the Neo-Expressionist style.Kiefer returned to the area of his birthplace in 1971. In the years that followed, he incorporated German mythology in particular in his work, and in the next decade he studied the Kabbalah, as well as Qabalists like Robert Fludd. He went on extended journeys throughout Europe, the US and the Middle East; the latter two journeys further influenced his work. Besides paintings, Kiefer created sculptures, watercolors, photographs, and woodcuts, using woodcuts in particular to create a repertoire of figures he could reuse repeatedly in all media over the next decades, lending his work its knotty thematic coherence.Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Kiefer made numerous paintings, watercolors, woodcuts, and books on themes interpreted by Richard Wagner in hi.... Discover the Lena Kiefer popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Lena Kiefer books.

Best Seller Lena Kiefer Books of 2024

  • Where our wishes come true synopsis, comments

    Where our wishes come true

    Kit Auburn

    Wie blickt man in die Zukunft, wenn die Vergangenheit eine Lüge war? – Band drei der NewAdultReihe in der gemütlichen Kleinstadt Saint Mellows!Als Sue ein lang gehütetes Familienge...

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    Belladaire Academy of Athletes - Misfits

    Maren Vivien Haase

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    Blush

    Amelia Cadan

    Die überwältigende Schönheit der HollywoodHills – und zwei verletzte Herzen auf der Suche nach der LiebeRyder, 22, CollegeAbsolvent und notorischer Womanizer, will den Sommer vor d...

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    Like Snow We Fall

    Ayla Dade

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    Blackwell Palace. Wanting it all

    Ayla Dade

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    Neon Knights - Die zerbrochene Krone

    Laure Eve

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    Golden Bay - How it feels

    Bianca Iosivoni

    Die schicksalhafte SecondChanceRomance der Bestsellerautorin – Teil 1 aus Embers SichtSüße Erinnerungen. Heiße Tränen. In einer einzigen Nacht hat sie alles verloren …Zwei Dinge ha...

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    Blossom

    Amelia Cadan

    Ein hoffnungsloser Romantiker aus reicher Familie und eine toughe Schauspielschönheit mit dunklem GeheimnisLeith, 22, BaseballAss, Jurastudent und SüdstaatenGentleman, versucht ger...

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    Maren Vivien Haase

    Lova & Luis: Was, wenn aus Konkurrenzkampf Liebe wird?Als Lova Sandberg erfährt, dass auch Luis Fernández an der Belladaire Academy zugelassen wurde, hätte sie am liebsten wied...

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    Like Fire We Burn

    Ayla Dade

    Auf dem Eis ist er zuhause. Kann er ihr Herz zum Schmelzen bringen? Die große NewAdultWinterreihe geht weiter!Zwei Jahre und zweitausend Meilen Abstand zwischen ihnen waren nicht g...

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    Blackwell Palace. Feeling it all

    Ayla Dade

    Wenn es draußen kalt ist, geht es im Blackwell Palace umso heißer zu: Das atemberaubende Finale der FrozenHeartsReiheMit teilweise besonderer Gestaltung des Schriftbilds.»Wenn ihr ...

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    Belladaire Academy of Athletes - Liars

    Maren Vivien Haase

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    Where your dreams shine

    Kit Auburn

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  • Golden Bay - How it hurts synopsis, comments

    Golden Bay - How it hurts

    Bianca Iosivoni

    Die schicksalhafte SecondChanceRomance der Bestsellerautorin geht weiter – Teil 2 aus Holdens Sicht Verzehrende Gefühle. Dunkle Geheimnisse. Die Fehler von damals dürfen sein Leben...

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    Golden Bay - How it ends

    Bianca Iosivoni

    Das große Finale der schicksalhaften SecondChanceRomance der Bestsellerautorin – Teil 3 aus Embers UND Holdens Sicht Zerstörtes Vertrauen. Intensive Leidenschaft. Ihre gemeinsame G...

  • Fantastisches Lesen synopsis, comments

    Fantastisches Lesen

    Robin Hobb, Holly Black, Daniel O'Malley, Lena Kiefer, Ed Mcdonald, Laura Sebastian, Benedict Jacka & William Ritter

    Sie tauchen gerne in fremde Welten ein und suchen neuen fantastischen Lesestoff? Haben Sie Lust einen exklusiven Blick in die deutsche Erstausgabe von Robin Hobbs neuer FantasyTri...

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    Blackwell Palace. Risking it all

    Ayla Dade

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    Du oder der Rest der Welt

    Simone Elkeles

    Die süchtig machende Bestsellerserie geht weiter!Das Letzte, was Carlos Fuentes will, als er zu seinem Bruder Alex zieht, ist, es diesem gleichzutun. Denn weder ist Carlos bereit, ...

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    It was always love

    Nikola Hotel

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    All Our Golden Dreams

    Mounia Jayawanth

    Manchmal muss man einen Traum aufgeben, damit sich ein anderer erfülltDer Traum von Ellis Wheaton ist wahr geworden: Ryan Van Day ist nach New York und in ihr Leben zurückgekehrt. ...

  • Du oder das ganze Leben synopsis, comments

    Du oder das ganze Leben

    Simone Elkeles

    Eine absolut heiße RomeoundJuliaGeschichte!Jeden anderen hätte Brittany Ellis, wohlbehütete Beauty Queen und unangefochtene Nr. 1 an der Schule, lieber als Chemiepartner gehabt als...