Anselm Kiefer: Ages of the World

The monumental installation Ages of the World is a milestone in Anselm Kiefer’s oeuvre, in which the core elements of his artistic practice converge. Evoking sights of ruins in the aftermath of a disaster – natural or man-made – it conveys an atmosphere of dystopic, post-apocalyptic future. At the same time, the work embodies a kind of artistic alchemy – a fusion of materials and techniques revealing hidden forces and myths that have the power to engender a transformation process. For Kiefer, chaos is a prerequisite for creation and devastation is a precondition for rebirth. This conception is expressed in Ages of the World, suggesting that destruction and decay hold the potential for regeneration.

Accompanying Kiefer’s installation here are works from the Museum’s contemporary art collection, including some of its most recent acquisitions. They echo the polyphonic nature of Kiefer’s work, illuminating the dynamics between matter, space, and time, and drawing the viewers into an experience of multilayered meanings and interpretations.

Anselm Kiefer, born Germany 1945, active Paris and Barjac, France

Ages of the World, 2014

Sculpture: canvases, paint, sunflowers, lead, photographs, rocks, rubble. Collages: gouache and charcoal on photographic paper and canvas, height: 4 meters

Gift of the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation, Miami, to American Friends of the Israel Museum

B25.0359

Artwork © Anselm Kiefer

Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner

Anselm Kiefer, born Germany 1945, active Paris and Barjac, France

Ages of the World, 2014

Sculpture: canvases, paint, sunflowers, lead, photographs, rocks, rubble. Collages: gouache and charcoal on photographic paper and canvas, height: 4 meters

Gift of the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation, Miami, to American Friends of the Israel Museum

B25.0359

Artwork © Anselm Kiefer

Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner

Anselm Kiefer, born Germany 1945, active Paris and Barjac, France

Ages of the World, 2014

Sculpture: canvases, paint, sunflowers, lead, photographs, rocks, rubble. Collages: gouache and charcoal on photographic paper and canvas, height: 4 meters

Gift of the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation, Miami, to American Friends of the Israel Museum

B25.0359

Artwork © Anselm Kiefer

Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner

Anselm Kiefer, born Germany 1945, active Paris and Barjac, France

Ages of the World, 2014

Sculpture: canvases, paint, sunflowers, lead, photographs, rocks, rubble. Collages: gouache and charcoal on photographic paper and canvas, height: 4 meters

Gift of the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation, Miami, to American Friends of the Israel Museum

B25.0359

Artwork © Anselm Kiefer

Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner