Brünhildes Tod (Brünhilde’s Death)
- Date
- 1978
- probably made in
- Odenwald, Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 103 × 62 3/8 in. (261.6 × 158.4 cm)
framed: 108 × 66 1/2 in. (274.3 × 168.9 cm) - Credit Line
- Partial and promised gift of Anabeth and John Weil
- Rights
- © Anselm Kiefer
- Object Number
- 153:2003
NOTES
This sober image of a horse amidst flames relates to the German heroic legend of the Nibelung. Brünhilde, a shieldmaiden or valkyrie, was tricked into murdering her lover Siegfried. When she realizes her mistake, she rides her horse onto Siegfried's funeral pyre in order to perish with him in the flames.
This print is one of a series of very large woodcuts, each unique through added painting and writing. Brünhilde herself appears only in her written name, as if she and her lover have already disappeared in the clouds of smoke. Anselm Kiefer's choice of the woodcut to illustrate the log fire not only adds dramatic emphasis but also suggests the forests of Germany where the mythical story of the Nibelung was supposed to have taken place.
Provenance
by 1980 -
Sonnabend Gallery, New York, NY, USA [1]
Joshua Mack, New York, NY, purchased from Sonnabend Gallery [2]
- 2001
CRG Gallery, New York, NY
2001 -
Anabeth and John Weil, St. Louis, MO, purchased from CRG Gallery
2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, partial and promised gift of Anabeth and John Weil [3]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a CRG Gallery invoice addressed to John Weil, dated March 27, 2001 [SLAM document files]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] The woodcut was included in a 1980 exhibition at Sonnabend Gallery [CRG Gallery invoice addressed to John Weil, dated March 27, 2001, SLAM document files].
[2] A letter from the CRG Gallery notes that Joshua Mack purchased the work from Sonnabend Gallery [letter dated January 26, 2001, SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 2, 2003.
Sonnabend Gallery, New York, NY, USA [1]
Joshua Mack, New York, NY, purchased from Sonnabend Gallery [2]
- 2001
CRG Gallery, New York, NY
2001 -
Anabeth and John Weil, St. Louis, MO, purchased from CRG Gallery
2003 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, partial and promised gift of Anabeth and John Weil [3]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a CRG Gallery invoice addressed to John Weil, dated March 27, 2001 [SLAM document files]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] The woodcut was included in a 1980 exhibition at Sonnabend Gallery [CRG Gallery invoice addressed to John Weil, dated March 27, 2001, SLAM document files].
[2] A letter from the CRG Gallery notes that Joshua Mack purchased the work from Sonnabend Gallery [letter dated January 26, 2001, SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 2, 2003.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.