Zim Zum

1980s

Kabbalah, alchemy and lead

In the 1980s Kiefer studied the Kabbalah and Kabbalists such as Robert Fludd. Lead, which became his chief material, first attracted him when he had to repair ageing pipes in the first house he owned; later he discovered its connection with alchemy. Extended journeys to the US and the Middle East also influenced his work.

1988

Turns a brick factory in Höpfingen into an artwork

Kiefer's studio moved from the attic of the former school in Hornbach to a factory building in nearby Buchen; in 1988 he transformed a former brick factory in Höpfingen into an extensive artwork with numerous installations and sculptures.

1990 · 受賞

Goslarer Kaiserring

1990

Awarded the Wolf Prize

In 1990 Kiefer was awarded the Wolf Prize.

1991

Leaves Germany to travel the world

In 1991, after twenty years of work in the Odenwald, Kiefer left Germany to travel the world — to India, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and the United States.

1992

Moves to France, to Barjac

In 1992 Kiefer settled in Barjac, France, leaving his first wife and children in Germany. He turned La Ribaute, a derelict silk factory on 35 hectares, into a studio Gesamtkunstwerk of glass buildings, archives, underground chambers and corridors. Other accounts date his life in France from 1993.