Anselm Kiefer

Heroische Sinnbilder [Heroic Symbols]

About this artwork

The 1960s witnessed the emergence of a generation of young Germans who began to confront their country’s recent political history. In this spirit, Anselm Kiefer created a series of photographs that show him giving the Hitler salute in front of various historical monuments and romantic landscapes. For his degree show at Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts in 1969, Kiefer arranged the photographs in a book that he ironically titled 'Heroische Sinnbilder (Heroic Symbols)'. He took the title from an article published in the National Socialist Party magazine 'Die Kunst im Deutschen Reich (Art in the German Reich)' in 1943 that discussed the vital importance of art in representing the German heroism of the past to contemporary Germans. Here, Kiefer’s saluting figure appears the same height as the classical ruin in the landscape behind him, ridiculing the Nazis’ delusions of grandeur.

Updated before 2020

see media
  • artist:
    Anselm Kiefer (born 1945) German
  • title:
    Heroische Sinnbilder [Heroic Symbols]
  • date created:
    1969
  • materials:
    Photograph, black and white, on paper
  • measurements:
    63.30 x 83.30 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d’Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2011
  • accession number:
    AR01171
  • gallery:
  • subject:
This artwork is part of Artist Rooms
Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Tell us what you think.

Anselm Kiefer

Anselm Kiefer