Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a gouache drawing by Anselm Kiefer. It dates from 1995 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1995, this untitled work by Anselm Kiefer combines gouache on paper with an incorporated photographic collage. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. It presents a stark, ink‑like silhouette of a bird in flight above a small black‑and‑white photograph of a desolate landscape, the edges of the paper appearing torn and weathered.
Subject & Meaning
Below, the photographic fragment depicts a barren terrain with sparse structures, offering a contrasting sense of stillness.
The central motif is a bird rendered in bold, dark strokes, suggesting movement and a fleeting presence. Below, the photographic fragment depicts a barren terrain with sparse structures, offering a contrasting sense of stillness. The juxtaposition of the soaring bird against a lifeless horizon invites contemplation of freedom versus abandonment, a recurring theme in Kiefer’s exploration of memory and landscape.
Technique & Style
Kiefer employs thick, uneven gouache applications that mimic ink, giving the bird a tactile, hand‑drawn quality. The collage element introduces a flat, grainy photographic surface, creating a visual tension between the organic paint texture and the mechanical reproduction. The paper’s torn, aged edges enhance the work’s raw, unfinished aesthetic, characteristic of the artist’s mixed‑media approach.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in the mid‑1990s, a period when Kiefer increasingly integrated photographic materials into his paintings. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection through acquisition in the early 2000s, where it has been displayed as part of exhibitions examining post‑war European art and the artist’s experimental practices.
Context
During the 1990s, Kiefer’s practice expanded beyond monumental oil canvases to include smaller, more intimate pieces that blended drawing, painting, and found imagery. This untitled piece reflects that shift, aligning with broader contemporary trends that questioned the boundaries between fine art and documentary photography, while retaining the artist’s preoccupation with history, ruin, and regeneration.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anselm Kiefer 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…
