ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Vistula

1977–78
Not on view
In a number of works from the late 1970s, Kiefer referenced the Vistula, Poland’s longest river, which has figured in numerous territorial disputes between Poland and its neighbors Russia and Germany over the past two centuries. The river region was key as a means of expansion in Hitler’s 1939 invasion of Poland. At the time, Poland’s only defense was its poorly equipped and vastly outnumbered cavalry, which rode out to meet the oncoming German tanks. Inscribed across the bottom of this drawing is "Die Weichsel" (the Vistula); another sheet has "Weichsel, Weichsel, weiße Weichsel" (Vistula, Vistula, white Vistula), the lyrics of a song about the subject that was popular during the Third Reich.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Vistula
  • Artist: Anselm Kiefer (German, born Donaueschingen, 1945)
  • Date: 1977–78
  • Medium: Acrylic, graphite, and shellac on paper
  • Dimensions: 23 1/4 x 25 3/4 in. (59.1 x 65.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.14.23
  • 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.