Anselm Kiefer - Sag mir wo die Blumen sind (Van Gogh)

Sag mir wo die Blumen sind

The title of the exhibition, Sag mir wo die Blumen sind, refers to the anti-war song of the same name by American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, which later became widely known in a German rendition by Marlene Dietrich. The title also refers to Kiefer’s new work of the same name to be shown at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and to Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

About Kiefer

Born just before the end of World War Two, German artist Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945) played among the ruins as a child. In the late 1960s, Kiefer was one of the first German artists to scrutinise the emotionally charged history of his homeland. His monumental and abrasive artworks were initially received with much criticism in Germany. In the Netherlands, however, his work was valued early on by collectors and by museums such as the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. It was only later on that Kiefer also became appreciated in Germany as a result of exposing what remained unsaid. Recurring subjects in his work include German history, mythology, legends, alchemy, the devastating effects of war and the eternal landscape.