Les Reines De France 1995

Anselm Kiefer made 'Les Reines de France’ using a mix of materials including paint, plaster, and gold leaf. Rather than being traditional art materials, these are things taken from everyday life. The artwork's material greatly influences its appearance, considering its inherent qualities of substance, texture, weight, color, and form. To make it, Kiefer used these processes which have imbued the artwork with social and cultural significance. He engaged with a range of techniques, tools, and skilled traditions; these belong to the histories of creative practices and aesthetics, alongside that of craft and fine arts. Kiefer has used both traditional art materials, as well as industrial materials. All of this is tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption, and the amount of work involved in the production process. Ultimately, the importance of materials, making, and context is essential in understanding the full meaning of an artwork such as this, as well as challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.