Anselm Kiefer

Galerie Paul Maenz, Cologne
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 1982

This work is in very good condition overall. There is scattered craquelure in the areas of heavy impasto. Some of the dried ferns are slightly loose and a few leaves have fallen off. There is minor dust residue on the surface. There are slight undulations in the surface of the canvas. Otherwise, there are no apparent condition problems with this work.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Anselm Kiefer's Johannis-Nacht is a seminal work for the artist and one whose central subject is a highly prevalent theme in his works that follow throughout the 1980s. The title, Johannis-Nacht or Midsummer Night, refers to the night before the summer solstice. In Germany, this night is celebrated with rituals imbued by both pagan and Christian traditions; thousands of five meter high straw wheels are built, set aflame on the hilltops and let roll into the valley. The summer solstice celebrations also coincide with the celebration of Saint John the Baptist's birth and as such Johannis-Nacht is a simultaneous allusion to both celebrations.

In the present work, Kiefer creates a composition, dominated by dried ferns whose symbolism is equally central to the work. Traditionally on the Midsummer Night, the seeds of ferns are collected for use in rituals concerning invulnerability and invisibility. As such, the fern serves as an archetypal element of life. Kiefer, then, by constructing this composition with dried ferns further connotes their significance. The fern also references Saint John the Baptist who prepared the way for Christ's coming. Kiefer considered the fern to be an equally significant precursor: "Ferns are very important. The first trees were ferns. They are primal. Charcoal and oil are made out of ferns that existed at the beginning of life. There are many stories and folktales about plants having memories. If this is true, ferns could tell us a great deal about our beginnings. Like forests, ferns may contain secret knowledge. But they are complex in relation to Christian symbols of light. They grow in the shade. On the evening of Johannisnacht, the devil goes out into the fields and spreads fern seeds. This creates a certain chaos. Ferns remind us that we also need the darkness." (Kiefer quoted in Exh. Cat., Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (and traveling), Anselm Kiefer: Heaven and Earth, September 2005 – January 2007, p. 90)

Kiefer's fascination with content was accompanied by an equal attention to both the materiality of the canvas and the visual complexity of its surface.  By placing the textural ferns on a dark painted background, referencing the night sky, Kiefer presents the ferns as an emanation and natural symbol of the Divinity, which introduced life. With the emphasis he places on the fern and Johannis-Nacht, this work foretells much of Kiefer's work in the late 1980s – it suggests his later great explorations of mythological themes and use of symbolism which repeatedly proliferate the artist's ongoing dialogue with the past.