Anselm Kiefer and the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger Anselm Kiefer and the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger is a work of cultural history that situates the art works of one of the most important contemporary painters in relation to the existential, phenomenological, and hermeneutic philosophy of Heidegger. Analyzing the development of Kiefer's art in terms of subjectivity, inter­ subjectivity, history, and technology, Matthew Biro demonstrates that the artist's subjects reflect and transform the philosopher's theoretical interests and intellectual development. The works of Kiefer and Heidegger, Biro argues, present a constella­ tion of issues that unite German art and theory for most of the twentieth century. Showing the aesthetic relevance of the three stages of Heidegger's philosophical thought to Kiefer's work, this book also demonstrates the significance of Kiefer's art works for contemporary art and theory. Matthew Biro is Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has contributed to the New German Critique, Art Criticism, and The New Art Examiner. Contemporary Artists and Their Critics Series Editor: Donald Kuspit, State Universityof New York, Stony Brook Advisory Board: Matthew Baigell, Rutgers University Lynn Gamwell, State University of New York, Binghamton Richard Hertz, Art Center C'AJllegeof Design, Pasadena Udo Kulturmann, Washington University Judith Russi Kirshner, University of Illinois, Chicago This series presents a broad range of writings on contemporary art by some of the most astute critics at work today. Combining the methods of art criticism and art history, their essays, publisbed here in antbologized form, are at once scholarly and timely, analytic and evaluative, a record and critique of art events. Books in this series are on the "cutting edge" of thinking about contemporary art. Deliber­ ately pluralistic in approach, the series represents a wide variety of approaches. Collectively, books published in this series will deal with the complexity of con­ temporary art from a wide perspective, in terms of both point of view and writing. OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES: Beyond the Mainstream, by Peter Selz Art into Ideas: Essays on Conceptual Art, by Robert C. Morgan Building-Art, by Joseph Masheck The Education of the Surrealists: The Gold of Time, by Jack J. Spector The Exile's Return: Toward a Redefinition of Painting for the Post-Modem Era, by Thomas McEvilley Looking at Art from the Inside Out: The Psychoiconographic Approach to Modern A,1, by Mary Mathews Gedo Signs of Psyche in Modem and Postmodern Art, by Donald Kuspit ANSELM KIEFER AND THE PHILOSOPHYOF MARTIN HEIDEGGER Matthew Biro CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATEOF THE UNIVERSffY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 !RP, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITYPRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK http: //www.cup.cam.a.c.uk 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211,USA http: / /www.cup.org 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne, 3I66, Australia © Matthew Biro 1998 Unless othervvise noted, all illustrations@ 1998 by Anselm Kiefer. This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published I 998 Printed in the United States of America Typeset in 10.5/13 Slimbach Book in QuarkXPress [GHJ A catalog recordfor this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Biro, Matthew Anselm Kiefer and the philosophy of Martin Heidegger / Matthew Biro. - [New ed.] p. cm. - (Contemporary artists and their critics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-521-59170-8 (hardback} 1. Kiefer, Anselm, 1945- ~ Criticism and interpretation. 2. Modernism (Art) - Germany. 3. Heidegger, Martin, 1889-1976 - Influence. 1. Title. IL Series. N6888.K43B57 1998 709' .2 - dc21 98-20892 ISBN 0-521-59170-8 hardback For Ivan, Juliane, and Christine Contents List of Illustrations page ix Acknowledgments vi Introduction 1 1 Reworking the Subject 11 2 Decisiveness and Undecidability 75 3 Modernity /Saturation/History 135 4 Art and Technology 193 Conclusion 253 List of Abbreviations Used in the Notes 259 Notes 261 Bibliography 307 Index 315 vii List of Illustrations Unless otherwise noted, all works are by Anselm Kiefer. Figure I. George Grosz, 'Daum' Marries her pedantic automaton 'George' in May 1920. John Heartfield is very glad of it. (Met.-mech. Constr after Prof R. Hausmann) (1920). 14 Figure 2. You Are a Painter (1969) (cover). 20 Figure 3. You Are a Painter, pp. 4-5. 20 Figure 4. You Are a Painter, pp. 14-15. 21 Figure 5. You Are a Painter, pp. 16-17. 21 Figure 6. You Are a Painter, pp. 48-49. 22 Figure 7. You Are a Painter, pp. 50-51. 22 Figure 8. Heroic Symbols (1969) (cover]. 25 Figure 9. Heroic Symbols, pp. 4-5. 25 Figure 10. Heroic Symbols, pp. 8-9. 26 Figure 11. Heroic Symbols, pp. 10-11. 27 Figure 12. Heroic Symbols, pp. 12-13. 27 Figure 13. Heroic Symbols, pp. 14-15. 28 Figure 14. Heroic Symbols, pp. 16-17. 29 Figure 15. Heroic Symbols, pp. 22-23. 29 Figure 16. Heroic Symbols, pp. 24-25. 30 Figure17. Heroic Symbols, pp. 28-29. 30 Figure 18. Heroic Symbols, pp. 30-31. 31 Figure 19. Man in the Forest (1971) 33 Figure 20. Germany's Spiritual Heroes (1973). 34 Figure 21. Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper (1495-1498). 36 figure 22. Cockchafer Fly (1974). 48 Figure 23. Nero Paints (1974). 49 Figure 24. Viucent van Gogh, Crows Over the Wheat Field (1890). 50 Figure 25. Brandenburg Heath (1974), 52 Figure 26. The Face of the German People: Coal for 2000 Years (1974) (cover). 59 Figure 27. The Face of the Gemwn People: Coal for 2000 Years, pp. 20-21. 60 Figure 28. The Face of the German People: Coal for 2000 Years, pp. 120-121. 61 Figure 29. The Face of the German People: Coal for 2000 Years, pp. 164-165. 62 IX X Figure 30. The Face of the Gennan People: Coal for 2000 Years, pp. 166-167. 62 LISTOF Figure 31. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I (1974) (cover). 64 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 32. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 24-25. 64 Figure 33. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 50-51. 65 Figure 34. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 92-93. 65 Figure 35. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 140-141. 66 Figure 36. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 142-143. 66 Figure 37. The Burning of the Rural District of Bnchen I, pp. 156-157. 67 Figure 38. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 158-159. 67 Figure 39. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen I, pp. 204-205. 68 Figure 40. Iron Path (1986). 88 Figure 41. Siegfried's Difficult Way to Brunhilde (1977), pp. 42-43. 90 Figure 42. Siegfried's Difficult Way to Brunhilde, pp. 100-101. 90 Figure 43. Athanor (1983-1984). 101 Figure 44. Albert Speer, Courtyard, New Reich Chancellery, Berlin (ca. 1939). 101 Figure 45. Interior (1981). 104 Figure 46. Albert Speer, Mosaic Room, New Reich Chancellery, Berlin (ca. 1939). 105 Figure 47. Albert Speer, Mosaic Room, New Reich Chancellery, Berlin (ca. 1945). 105 Figure 48. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen VII (1975) (cover). 112 Figure 49. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen VII, pp. 2-3. 113 Figure 50. The Burning of the Rural District of Buchen VII, pp. 4-5. 113 Figure 51. Piel Mondrian - Anninius's Battle (1976). 116 Figure 52. Brandenburg Sand IV (1976) (cover). 118 Figure 53. Brandenburg Sand IV, pp. 4-5. 118 Figure 54. Brandenburg Sand IV, pp. 10-11. 119 Figure 55. Brandenburg Sand IV, pp. 18-19 119 Figure 56. Brandenburg Sand IV, pp. 34-35 120 Figure 57. Brandenburg Sand IV, pp. 40-41. 120 Figure 58. Tree with Palette (1978). 122 Figure 59. Jemsalem (1986). 123 Figure 60. Kyffhiiuser (1980) (cover). 125 Figure 61. Kyffhiimer, pp. 4-5. 125 Figure 62. Kyffhiimer, pp. 30-31. 126 Figure 63. Kyffhiiuser, pp. 34-3 5. 126 Figure 64. Kyffhiiuser, pp. 40-41. 127 Figure 65. Kyffhdv.ser, pp. 46-47. 127 Figure 66. Shulamith I (1990), pp. 32-33. 129 Figure 67. Lilith's Daughters (1991). 130 Figure 68. Joseph Beuys, Fond III (1969). 163 Figure 69. Koll Visiting Kiefer (1969) (cover). 165 Figure 70. Koll Visiting Kiefer, pp. 36-37. 166 Figure 71. Koll Visiting Kiefer, pp. 44-45. 167 Figure 72. Koll Visiting Kiefer, pp. 56-57, 168 XI Figure 73. Koll Visiting Kiefer, pp. 82-83. 169 LISTOF Figure 74. Ways of Worldly Wisdom -Arminius's Battle (1978-1980). 174 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 75. Andy Warhol, 13 Most Wanted Men (1964). 175 Figure 76. Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles (1952). 184 Figure 77. Margarete (1981). 185 Figure 78. The Master Singers (1981). 185 Figure 79. Land of11.vo Rivers (1989), pp. 14-15. 195 Figure 80. Land of Two Rivers, pp. 24-25. 196 Figure 81. Land of 1wo Rivers, pp. 38-39. 196 Figure 82. Land of 11.voRivers, pp. 44-45. 197 Figure 83. Land of Two Rivers, pp. 50-51. 197 Figure84. Land of Two Rivers, pp. 54-55. 198 Figure 85. Land of Two Rivers, pp. 60-61. 198 Figure 86. The High Priestess/Land of Two Rivers (1985-1991). 199 Figure 87. Pole (1984-1985). 208 Figure 88. Exhibition view of Kiefer's planes, New National Gallery, Berlin (1991). 213 Figure 89.