About the book: This volume provides invaluable insight into the life and works of Anselm Kiefer, prolific contemporary German artist renown for his diverse body of work in painting, sculpture and installation. Anselm Kiefer (b.1945) played a major role in shaping the landscape of post-war German art. His vision encompasses philosophy, history and literature – ranging from intimate books that explore German identity to monumental public sculpture installations. Conceptually, Kiefer urges viewers to challenge narratives of war, identity, religion, morality, memory and history. Visually, his paintings ooze physical tactility, incorporating such organic matter as straw and sand, so his canvases become sculptural and affective.

Matthew Biro is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art and Chair of the Department of the History of Art at the University of Michigan. An expert in twentieth-century art, he is the author of Anselm Kiefer and the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger (1998), and has also published in Art History and Artforum.

Silke Weineck is associate professor of German studies at U-M. She is the author of The Abyss Above: Philosophy and Poetic Madness (2004).

The Author's Forum is a collaboration between the U-M Institute for the Humanities, University Library, Great Lakes Literary Arts Center, & Ann Arbor Book Festival.