Anselm Kiefer in Voorlinden

Locations

Years ago, as a young man not particularly interested in art, I walked into a museum in Amsterdam, and happened to come face to face with a monumental painting of Anselm Kiefer. It made such an impression on me, that I still remember the moment, even the painting: a dark post-apocalyptic scene.

In the meantime I have learned that Kiefer, who was born in Germany amongst the ravages of bombing raids at the end of World War II, is preoccupied, if not obsessed, with his struggle with war and destruction. And over the years I have seen more work by Kiefer, invariably dark and menacing, in my memory. As recently as September 2023 I admired a huge, wall-covering war scene in a museum in Finland (https://theonearmedcrab.com/08-the-museum/).

‘Le Promethee Mal Enchaine’ – also called ‘the bookshelves’ – a quintessential Anselm Kiefer work of 2023 in lead and steel
‘Wolfsbohne – fur Paul Celan’ (2020), oil and acrylic and a whole lot more on canvas. The Ukrainian-born poet Paul Celan was an important source of inspiration for Kiefer

So when the Museum Voorlinden (https://theonearmedcrab.com/museum-voorlinden/), near The Hague in the Netherlands, put up a solo exhibition of Kiefer, I just had to see this. New Year’s Day 2024 was the opportunity. It is called ‘Bilderstreit’, which is something like battle with the images.

It did not disappoint, on the contrary. The visitor is blown away by room after room of monumental art works, sometimes paintings, sometimes installations.

Many of the paintings need to be viewed in three dimensions, as huge metal constructions come out of the canvas, into the room. The overall impression was actually a lot less dark than I had imagined, despite the copious use of black lead; although the subject matter remains mostly depressing, of course. There is a room full of collages of woodcuts on canvas, with a sombre depiction of the Rhine, for instance. But another room contains a collection of, rather erotic, watercolour and pencil works, which at least are a lot more colourful.

Most of the works on show are fairly recent, or fairly recently completed, in the last ten years, or so. Culminating in a delightful series called ‘Journal Intime’ (2023), adorned bicycles – and in one case a super market trolley – glued to painted canvas. There is an installation, a room full of objects dedicated to historically relevant Germans, including a bed for Ulrike Meinhoff. But my favourites remain the huge paintings, each of which require meticulous study to discover the many details. A sample, below.

monumental works of art they are, this one appropriately called ‘Samson’ (2014-2017), oil, acrylic on canvas
another wall full: ‘Sichelschnitt’ (2019), oil and acrylic on canvas
Kiefer has also ‘ Sonneblume’ (‘Sunflowers’) is his repertoire (2023)
sometimes in a more complex setting, like this ‘Hortus Conclusus’, a woodcut collage (2007-2014); note the body in yoga pose at the bottom of the image
another woodcut collage, ‘Der Rhein’ (1982-2013), actually a series of woodcuts glued together; the Rhine being a national symbol in Germany, which in Kiefer’s memory was appropriated by the Nazis
and a third one, ‘Melancolica’ (1982-2013), referring to Albrecht Durer’s famous 16th C engraving of the same name
‘Ignis Sacer’ (2010-2022), which becomes ever more fscinating if you concentrate on the details, left
‘La Voute Etoilee’ (1998-2016), made of lead, oil and a whole lot more on canvas on wood
whereby the lead columns literally come out of the canvas
lots of more detail, of which the significance is – to me, at least – not immediately clear
similar technique, ‘Sternenfall’ (1998-2016)
with once again the lead sticking out into the room
a room full of installations in display cases
amongst them ‘Monsalvat’ (2018), more steel, glass and lead
and ‘Der Fehlende Buchstabe’ (2017), same thing, a bit
‘Der Freimaurer’ (2010-2011), the emblem of the Freemasons, with the now-derelict Berlin airport Tempelhof in the background
‘Canis Major’ (2010), another monumental painting which refers to the Great Dog constellation
and a detail of a mountain in the back
and, yeah?, burned and dead wood in the front?
‘Aus Herzen und Hirnen Spriesen Sie die Halme der Nacht’ (2019-2020), a fabulous, wall-filling oil & acrylic painting on canvas
and look at the detail, not the just the scythe
but also die Halme – the straw
‘Winterreise’ is an enormous stage set where Kiefer creates a forest in a winter landscape, with the names of well-known Germans written near individual objects; many poets, philosophers, writes, and even composer Schubert, creator of the same-title song cycle
a bed pontifically in the middle
which is dedicated to ‘famous German’ Ulrike Meinhoff
and the side view of the same scene
one of the watercolour and pencil works
and another one; I left the more erotic ones out
‘Journal Intime’ (2023), oil, acrylic, steel – a bicycle, or a supermarkt trolley – on canvas
the trolley in more detail, including its burnt contents
and another ‘Journal Intime’ (2023), in the same room
and a room full of more bicycles
one stacked with hay, another burdened with bricks

a fabulous exposition, never seen anything like it!!

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