Who Is Anselm Kiefer? Age, Biography, and Wiki
As of 2025, Anselm Kiefer is 80 years old. Born in Donaueschingen, Germany, Kiefer's artistic journey began early in his life. He studied art at the University of Freiburg and later at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe. His early experiences during and after World War II greatly influenced his work, which often incorporates themes of memory, trauma, and the passage of time. Kiefer's extensive body of work includes paintings, sculptures, installations, and even collaborations with architects.
| Occupation | Painters |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | March 8, 1945 |
| Age | 80 Years |
| Birth Place | Donaueschingen, Germany |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | Austria |
Popularity
Anselm Kiefer's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Though Anselm Kiefer’s exact height and weight are not widely known, it’s generally estimated that he stands around 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall. His imposing physical presence matches the grand scale of his artworks, which often address weighty themes and employ heavy materials like lead, straw, and ash.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Kiefer has managed to maintain a degree of privacy concerning his personal life over the years. He was previously married to Swiss actress and painter, Riva, and they have three children together. As of 2025, Kiefer's relationship status remains somewhat unclear, with no public confirmations of a boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, or husband. He appears to focus primarily on his career and artistic pursuits.
Kiefer left his first wife and children in Germany on his move to Barjac in 1992. From 2008 he lived in Paris, in a large house in the Marais district, with his second wife, the Austrian photographer Renate Graf, and their two children. Kiefer and Graf divorced in 2014.
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Anselm Kiefer's net worth is estimated to be between $50 million to $100 million. His wealth stems from successful auctions and exhibitions worldwide, which have often sold his works for millions. Kiefer's pieces are highly sought after, making him one of the highest-earning contemporary artists today.
Career, Business, and Investments
Kiefer's career spans several decades, with countless exhibitions in prestigious venues around the globe. He is known for his large-scale artworks that often incorporate unconventional materials and methods. Apart from his artistic endeavors, Kiefer has also ventured into education, teaching at various institutions and mentoring young artists. Additionally, he continues to invest in his work and projects, exploring new mediums and subjects that challenge contemporary norms.
"A complex critical engagement with history runs through Anselm Kiefer's work. His paintings as well as the sculptures of Georg Baselitz created an uproar at the 1980 Venice Biennale: the viewers had to decide whether the apparent Nazi motifs were meant ironically or whether the works were meant to convey actual fascist ideas.
Kiefer worked with the conviction that art could heal a traumatized nation and a vexed, divided world.
He created epic paintings on giant canvases that called up the history of German culture with the help of depictions of figures such as Richard Wagner or Goethe, thus continuing the historical tradition of painting as a medium of addressing the world.
Only a few contemporary artists have such a pronounced sense of art's duty to engage the past and the ethical questions of the present, and are in the position to express the possibility of the absolution of guilt through human effort."
Social Network
While Anselm Kiefer is not known for being active on social media, his influence carries through various platforms where his works are discussed and celebrated. Art enthusiasts and followers can find updates regarding his exhibitions, interviews, and more through platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and specialized art forums.
Kiefer returned to the area of his birthplace in 1971. In the years that followed, he incorporated German mythology in particular in his work, and in the next decade he studied the Kabbalah, as well as Qabalists like Robert Fludd.
He went on extended journeys throughout Europe, the US and the Middle East; the latter two journeys further influenced his work.
Besides paintings, Kiefer created sculptures, watercolors, photographs, and woodcuts, using woodcuts in particular to create a repertoire of figures he could reuse repeatedly in all media over the next decades, lending his work its knotty thematic coherence.
Education
Kiefer’s education played a crucial role in shaping his artistic vision. He studied at the University of Freiburg and the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe, where he began to develop his signature style blending traditional and modern techniques. His experiences during his formative years enabled him to explore deep philosophical questions about life, history, and memory, which permeate his art even today.
His city having been heavily bombed, Kiefer grew up surrounded by the devastation of the war. In 1951, his family moved to Ottersdorf, and he attended public school in Rastatt, graduating high school in 1965. He studied at the University of Freiburg, studying pre-law and Romance languages.
However, after three semesters he switched to art, studying at art academies in Freiburg and Karlsruhe. In Karlsruhe, he studied under Peter Dreher, a realist and figurative painter. He received an art degree in 1969.
