The work of Anselm Kiefer begins with a crucial question How after the Holocaust can one be an artist within the German tradition? Born at the end of the Second World War Kiefer&s career represents a quasi-existential quest to redefine Germanness This new monograph will examine the foundation of Kiefer&s work memory & our response to it Kiefer&s work is informed by great literary works myths tales & legends & particularly the world of Kabbalistic mysticism This book explores his passion for alchemy his admiration for great female figures obscured by history & his relationship with the landscape & nature a notable topic of his most recent works Steeped in culture Kiefer mixes many forms & media The &total work of art& has characterized his work for more than four decades Art historian Dominique Baque highlights an aspect of Kiefer&s work here that has received very little critical attention before now his conceptual understanding of the book & photography She also considers the often overlooked performance element of his work starting with his first &actions& from the end of the 1960s