[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Kiefer uses lead in many of his works, which make them heavy and hard to transport. That's part of the reason why a show of his works is difficult to organize," says Wang.

The artist, known for his large pieces done with clay, lead, ashes, straw and dried plants, is seen as a torchbearer of Germany's history and its opposition to war.

Kiefer was a student of German conceptual artist Joseph Beuys, who is famous for his slogan "Everyone is an artist."

In 2013, the CAFA museum held a show of the works of Beuys in China.

Speaking about Kiefer's works, Shao Dazhen, an art historian and critic, says the works cannot simply be described as paintings or sculpture, as the artist integrates installations, concepts and even performance into his art.