Beyond their obvious practical functions as production and storage spaces, artists’ studios are also physical representations of the mind and memory of an artist, where living and working spaces combine.

In this superbly illustrated volume, Danièle Cohn, who has worked alongside Anselm Kiefer for many years, explains the central role the artist’s studios play in his artistic process. She reveals how Kiefer’s ateliers – their layout and organization, and their location – are intrinsic to his work as a painter and sculptor. The reader is taken on an exploration of Kiefer’s ateliers around the world and shown the influence they have on the creation of his works.

From the attic of a former school and a disused brickyard in Germany, via ateliers in the rural south of France and the urban setting of Le Marais in Paris, to his current studio in Croissy-Beaubourg on the outskirts of the French capital, we discover how Anselm Kiefer’s work spaces have influenced his art.