When Paint and Film Collide in Anselm Kiefer’s Monumental Worlds

Step inside a cavernous warehouse where art isn’t just hung on walls—it towers, sprawls, and sometimes smolders. That’s the immersive promise of Anselm, Wim Wenders’s new 3D documentary about German artist Anselm Kiefer. Rather than a typical artist profile, the film plunges viewers into the heart of Kiefer’s creative process, revealing how he sculpts history and memory from lead, concrete, glass, and even scorched books. Wenders, known for his poetic eye, builds on a decades-long friendship with Kiefer, capturing the tension between two artists who each longed for the other’s craft. The film’s journey moves from Kiefer’s roots in Germany to his studio in France, mapping the landscapes that have shaped his monumental vision. Through sweeping shots and layered storytelling, Anselm explores how Kiefer’s work wrestles with the weight of history, the cycles of human existence, and the echoes of literature and myth. In this cinematic meeting of brush and lens, art becomes an experience you can almost walk through. #AnselmKiefer #WimWenders #ArtDocumentary #Culture