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. 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.

Originally trained as a continental philosopher, Matthew Biro came to art history through an interest in aesthetics and visual thinking.  He is the author of two books, Anselm Kiefer and the Philosophy of Martin Heidegger (New York and London: Cambridge University Press, 1998) and The Dada Cyborg: Visions of the New Human in Weimar Berlin (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2009), and his articles on modern and contemporary art and philosophy have appeared in Art History, the Yale Journal of Criticism, RES, Art Criticism, and New German Critique, among other places.  His reviews of contemporary art, film, and photography have appeared in Contemporary, Art Papers, and The New Art Examiner, and he has published book reviews for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Clio, CAA Reviews, and the European Legacy.