Landscape with Wing (Translation)
Landschaft mit Flugel (Primary Title)

Anselm Kiefer, German, born 1945 (Artist)

Educational
1981
German
oil, straw, lead on canvas
Overall: 130 × 218 in. (330.2 × 553.72 cm)
85.414

“I work with symbols that link our consciousness with the past. The symbols create a kind of simultaneous continuity, and we recollect our origins.” —Anselm Kiefer

Kiefer’s paintings use historical and mythological themes to explore his country’s past, aligning him with the Neo-Expressionists—a group of artists, particularly some from Germany and Italy, active during the 1980s, whose works references culture and history.

Kiefer’s immense desolate landscapes, made from such unorthodox materials as tar and straw, allude to centuries of conflict and devastation on German soil. The large object dominating this canvas refers to the Icelandic myth of Wayland, a crippled and imprisoned metalsmith who escaped on wings he made himself. Although this version is made of lead, such wings often symbolize redemption in Kiefer’s art.

Gift of the Sydney and Frances Lewis Foundation
Expressions: New Art from Germany, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, June 23 – August 4, 1983; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., June – September 1984

Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY, 1982
(Mary Boone Gallery, New York) by 1982; Purchased by the Sydney and Frances Lewis Foundation, Virginia, in November of 1983; Gift to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Richmond, Virginia in October of 1985.
© Anselm Kiefer

3 in 30: Legendary
23:36

Join the exhibition educator, Izzie Fuqua, for this gallery talk that concludes in the special exhibition Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour—Frederick Douglass, an art installation that combines film, spoken word, and photography to bridge history with the persistent concerns of our day.

Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.