Anselm Kiefer

Serlachius Museum Gösta’s extensive exhibition presents the works of Anselm Kiefer who is one of the most important contemporary artists in the world. The monumental paintings belong to the German Grothe Collection.

This is the first time that Anselm Kiefer’s output will be seen on such an extensive scale in Finland. The Serlachius Museums’ exhibition includes nearly 30 monumental works that fill Gösta’s Pavilion completely.

Anselm Kiefer is a storyteller, whose themes are drawn from history, literature and philosophy. The themes of his works relate, for example, to painful episodes in the history of Germany and of Europe as a whole. Alongside with history, also the mythical past lives in the works.

Kiefer’s works cover paintings, sculptures and installations. The most important works of the Grothe Collection are Kiefer’s typical monumental paintings, in which, in addition to paint, he uses lead, cement, dried plants, seeds, glass, soil and barbed wire.

The themes of the works and their unusual choice of material lead the spectator to an artistic space that is filled with mysterious symbolism and metaphors. The works form a memorable ensemble in conjunction with the Pavilion’s acclaimed architecture.

The exhibition is based on the art collection of Hans Grothe that includes Kiefers output from 1980s to present day. Serlachius Museums’ partner in producing the exhibition and bringing it to Mänttä is Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur, located in Bonn. The exhibition is curated by the organisation’s director, Professor Walter Smerling.

The Grothe Collection is the largest private Kiefer-collection in the world. The works of the Grothe Collection have been exhibited earlier in Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. The intention is for the collection to be permanently housed at the Kunsthalle Mannheim in Germany in 2017.

Image: Anselm Kiefer, Am Anfang, 2008, oil, emulsion, lead and photographic paper on canvas, Grothe Collection. Photo: Charles Duprat.