ticketsMember | Make a donation

Siegfried's Difficult Way to Brünnhilde

ca. 1980
Not on view
The title of this work refers to the hero of Wagner’s Ring cycle, Siegfried, and his journey to the place where his lover, Brünnhilde, sleeps inside a ring of fire. It is also the title of a 1977 book of photographs Kiefer made on the subject of an abandoned railway bed, a motif that suggests a sense of loss, of forgotten time. "Our historical knowledge . . . determines our way of looking at things," Kiefer once said. "We see railway tracks anywhere and think about Auschwitz. It will remain that way in the long run."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Siegfried's Difficult Way to Brünnhilde
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: ca. 1980
  • Medium: Acrylic and opaque watercolor on gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions: 23 1/4 x 32 7/8 in. (59.1 x 83.5 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Denise and Andrew Saul Fund, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.35
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Anselm Kiefer
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
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

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.