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Essence/Ex-sistence

1975
Not on view
In German, the words Essenz and Eksistenz immediately summon the theories of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) as developed in his landmark treatise Sein und Zeit (Being and Time, 1927). Heidegger coined the hyphenated Ek-sistenz to play on the German word Ecke (corner, or, more abstractly, a specific place), suggesting the isolated position of each human being in the world. The mountains in this drawing, rendered in relief (as in another watercolor from 1975, Wild Emperor, MMA 1995.14.11) and in profile, are emblazoned with Heidegger's neologism. Kiefer was also fascinated by Heidegger's ambiguous relationship to National Socialism. The philosopher had been forbidden to teach for many years after World War II because of his ties to the Nazis yet still became an important influence for many postwar Jewish intellectuals such as Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) and Jacques Derrida (1930–2004).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Essence/Ex-sistence
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1975
  • Medium: Watercolor and opaque watercolor on paper
  • Dimensions: 11 3/4 × 15 3/4 in. (29.8 × 40 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Barnett Newman Foundation Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.17
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Anselm Kiefer
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Morgenthau Plan, Anselm Kiefer German, Acrylic, emulsion, oil, and shellac on inkjet prints mounted on canvas
Morgenthau Plan
Anselm Kiefer
2012
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom, Anselm Kiefer German, Gouache, sand, ash and charcoal on two torn and pasted photographs
Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom
Anselm Kiefer
2000
Autumn Forest, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor, opaque watercolor, and graphite on papers
Autumn Forest
Anselm Kiefer
1970
Wild Emperor, Anselm Kiefer German, Watercolor and acrylic on paper
Wild Emperor
Anselm Kiefer
1975
Brünnhilde's Death, Anselm Kiefer German, India ink, watercolor, and acrylic on joined paper
Brünnhilde's Death
Anselm Kiefer
1976

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