IN THE BEGINNING. ANSELM KIEFER
Works from the Grothe Collection

Exhibition period: June 20th - September 30th, 2012
Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn

In cooperation with the Foundation for Art and Culture, Bonn
Curators: Susanne Kleine, Walter Smerling


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Anselm Kiefer, born in 1945, is one of the most important international artists of our time. Over the course of his career he has systematically created a complex, labyrinthine cosmos of his own, which allows him to pursue existential questions about the nature of myths, Christian religion, Jewish mysticism, history, nature (including nuclear energy), music and literature in pictorial strategies of outstanding aesthetic quality.

Kiefer’s epic works are made even more fascinating by the artist’s unusual choice of material which underpins his subject matter: thickly applied layers of paint, earth, lead, enamel, plants, clothing or hair reach beyond the traditional two-dimensionality of pictorial space and into the realm of the viewer.

Anselm Kiefer tries to shed light on the story behind the story. Explaining that he ‘pokes a hole, and then goes through it’, he highlights the processual nature of history and memory, especially when approached with subjective interpretations, a highly personal handling of individual mythologies and a distinctive creative style.

The Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn is presenting a major exhibition of works by Anselm Kiefer from 1978 until 2012. Drawn exclusively from the Grothe Collection this substantial body of works by the celebrated German artist has not been shown before. The selection, which includes several recent acquisitions and sculptural pieces, reaffirms the uniqueness of Kiefer’s oeuvre.

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