Anselm Kiefer: Will We Ever Learn?
- A powerful new installation by Anselm Kiefer has enveloped the grand staircase of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
- At the base of one panel lies a self-portrait of Kiefer as a young man, poignantly depicted with a tree growing out of his chest.
- The exhibition, titled "Sag mir wo die Blumen sind," which translates to "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," is a sprawling display across two of Amsterdam’s largest modern...
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Anselm Kiefer’s Haunting Anti-War Vision Takes Over Amsterdam Museums
Table of Contents
- Anselm Kiefer’s Haunting Anti-War Vision Takes Over Amsterdam Museums
- Anselm Kiefer’s Haunting Anti-War Vision Takes Over Amsterdam Museums
A powerful new installation by Anselm Kiefer has enveloped the grand staircase of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The exhibit features paintings that stretch from floor to ceiling, showcasing colors of oxidized copper and gold leaf.Adding to the immersive experience, army uniforms, stiffened with splattered paint, hang at eye level, while dried flower petals cascade down the canvases onto the floor.
At the base of one panel lies a self-portrait of Kiefer as a young man, poignantly depicted with a tree growing out of his chest. This striking installation serves as the centerpiece of Kiefer’s monumental solo exhibition.
“Sag mir wo die Blumen sind”: A Dual-Museum Retrospective
The exhibition, titled “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind
,” which translates to “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
,” is a sprawling display across two of Amsterdam’s largest modern art institutions: the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk. This comprehensive show includes approximately 25 paintings, 13 drawings, and three films by Kiefer, spanning from 1973 to the present. Additionally, eight works by van gogh are featured, highlighting the artistic connection between the two masters.
Opening on Friday,March 7,2025,just a day before Kiefer’s 80th birthday,the exhibition runs through June 9. This ambitious collaboration between the adjacent museums was a necessity, given the sheer scale of Kiefer’s vision, where nearly every piece commands an entire wall or room.
Anti-War Sentiment: The Core of the “Diptych”
Curator Edwin Becker describes the dual exhibition as a “diptych
,” emphasizing that Anselm Kiefer’s anti-war sentiment is the unifying element, expressed both subtly and overtly throughout the showcased works.
The Protest Anthem’s influence
The title and central piece at the Stedelijk draw inspiration from the 1955 protest anthem “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
” This folk song, originally by Pete Seeger, is referenced through the German lyrics popularized by Marlene Dietrich in the early 1960s.
The most vital sentence in this song is ‘When will we ever learn,’Anselm Kiefer
Kiefer elaborated on the song’s significance,stating,”The rest of the song is a little bit kitschy,but this is a deeper thing. we don’t know why things repeat all the time. We have a situation now like in 1933 in Germany, it’s horrible.
“
Born in Donaueschingen, Germany, near the end of World War II, Kiefer has consistently confronted the legacy of fascism, political violence, and cultural memory in his art.
War has been a running theme throughout his whole body of work. Already his first works had to deal with the Second World War, but since then it has taken many different forms.Leontine Coelewij,curator of the exhibition and curator of contemporary art at the Stedelijk
early Provocations and Artistic Exile
In 1969,as a 24-year-old art student,Kiefer embarked on a performance piece titled “Occupations
,” traveling across Europe to pose at historical sites. Dressed in various attire, including hippie gowns and business suits, he provocatively performed the Nazi salute. The resulting photo series, “Heroic Symbols
,” “was really a provocation to the people in Germany who did not want to talk about the war,
” according to Coelewij.
During his early career, when such subjects remained taboo in Germany, Kiefer felt artistically exiled. He found a receptive audience at the Stedelijk, which began acquiring his works from the 1980s.
“Innerraum”: confronting the Past
The exhibition begins with Kiefer’s 1981 painting “Innerraum
” (Interior), depicting the skylit chamber of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. this decaying, empty room once served as the meeting place for Adolf Hitler and his military leaders as they planned the destruction and seizure of Europe.
are very much about politics, but maybe not specific politics. We can all think of situations in the world where we can see the absurdity of war, and ask: Why does it still happen?Leontine Coelewij
Van Gogh’s Enduring Influence
The exhibition’s origins trace back to Emilie Gordenker, who conceived the idea shortly after becoming director of the Van Gogh Museum in 2020. kiefer had previously lectured at Tate Britain in London about his relationship with van gogh, leading to a series of large landscape paintings inspired by van Gogh’s oeuvre.
Kiefer acknowledged van Gogh as an influence as the age of 13. In 1963, at 18, he received a travel fellowship to follow van Gogh’s path through Europe, starting in Zundert, the Netherlands, and continuing through Belgium, Paris, and finally hitchhiking to Fourques, near Arles, in the South of France, where van Gogh created his most famous works, including the “Sunflowers
” series.
He worked very hard, as he had no talent, you know. The last two years he did all for what he’s now famous. That’s because he didn’t stop. He kept painting and painting.Anselm Kiefer
Juxtaposing Masters at the Van Gogh museum
The Van Gogh Museum’s segment of the exhibition juxtaposes Kiefer’s monumental landscape paintings,some nearly 30 feet across,such as “Die Krähen (The Crows)
,” from 2019,and “De sterrennacht
” (The Starry Night),from 2024,with van Gogh’s paintings. Van Gogh’s “Wheat Field With Crows
,” (1890) and “Sunflowers Gone to Seed
” (1890) are displayed nearby, highlighting the undeniable influence, although they appear diminutive in comparison.
Landscapes burdened by History
are burdened by history,
Anselm Kiefer’s Haunting Anti-War Vision Takes Over Amsterdam Museums
A powerful new installation by Anselm Kiefer has enveloped the grand staircase of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The exhibit features paintings that stretch from floor to ceiling, showcasing colors of oxidized copper and gold leaf.Adding to the immersive experience, army uniforms, stiffened with splattered paint, hang at eye level, while dried flower petals cascade down the canvases onto the floor.
At the base of one panel lies a self-portrait of Kiefer as a young man, poignantly depicted with a tree growing out of his chest. This striking installation serves as the centerpiece of Kiefer’s monumental solo exhibition.
“Sag mir wo die Blumen sind”: A Dual-Museum Retrospective
The exhibition, titled “Sag mir wo die Blumen sind,” which translates to “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” is a sprawling display across two of Amsterdam’s largest modern art institutions: the van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk. This comprehensive show includes approximately 25 paintings, 13 drawings, and three films by Kiefer, spanning from 1973 to the present.Additionally, eight works by van gogh are featured, highlighting the artistic connection between the two masters.
Opening on Friday,March 7,2025,just a day before Kiefer’s 80th birthday,the exhibition runs through June 9. This aspiring collaboration between the adjacent museums was a necessity, given the sheer scale of Kiefer’s vision, where nearly every piece commands an entire wall or room.
Anti-War Sentiment: The Core of the “Diptych”
Curator Edwin Becker describes the dual exhibition as a “diptych,” emphasizing that Anselm Kiefer’s anti-war sentiment is the unifying element, expressed both subtly and overtly throughout the showcased works.
The Protest Anthem’s influence
The title and central piece at the Stedelijk draw inspiration from the 1955 protest anthem “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” This folk song, originally by Pete seeger, is referenced through the German lyrics popularized by marlene Dietrich in the early 1960s.
“The most vital sentance in this song is ‘When will we ever learn,’”
anselm Kiefer
Kiefer elaborated on the song’s importance,stating,”the rest of the song is a little bit kitschy,but this is a deeper thing. we don’t know why things repeat all the time. We have a situation now like in 1933 in Germany, it’s horrible.”
Born in Donaueschingen, Germany, near the end of World War II, Kiefer has consistently confronted the legacy of fascism, political violence, and cultural memory in his art.
“War has been a running theme throughout his whole body of work. Already his first works had to deal with the Second World War, but since then it has taken many different forms.”
Leontine Coelewij,curator of the exhibition and curator of contemporary art at the Stedelijk
early provocations and Artistic Exile
In 1969,as a 24-year-old art student,Kiefer embarked on a performance piece titled “Occupations,” traveling across Europe to pose at historical sites. Dressed in various attire, including hippie gowns and business suits, he provocatively performed the Nazi salute. The resulting photo series, “Heroic Symbols,” “was really a provocation to the people in Germany who did not want to talk about the war,” according to Coelewij.
During his early career, when such subjects remained taboo in Germany, Kiefer felt artistically exiled. He found a receptive audience at the Stedelijk, which began acquiring his works from the 1980s.
“Innerraum”: confronting the Past
The exhibition begins with Kiefer’s 1981 painting “Innerraum” (Interior), depicting the skylit chamber of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. this decaying, empty room once served as the meeting place for Adolf Hitler and his military leaders as they planned the destruction and seizure of Europe.
“are very much about politics, but maybe not specific politics. We can all think of situations in the world where we can see the absurdity of war, and ask: Why does it still happen?”
Leontine Coelewij
Van Gogh’s Enduring Influence
The exhibition’s origins trace back to Emilie gordenker, who conceived the idea shortly after becoming director of the Van Gogh Museum in 2020. kiefer had previously lectured at tate Britain in London about his relationship with van gogh, leading to a series of large landscape paintings inspired by van Gogh’s oeuvre.
Kiefer acknowledged van Gogh as an influence as the age of 13. In 1963, at 18, he received a travel fellowship to follow van Gogh’s path through Europe, starting in Zundert, the Netherlands, and continuing through Belgium, Paris, and finally hitchhiking to Fourques, near Arles, in the South of France, where van Gogh created his most famous works, including the “Sunflowers” series.
“He worked very hard,as he had no talent,you know. The last two years he did all for what he’s now famous. That’s because he didn’t stop. He kept painting and painting.”
Anselm Kiefer
Juxtaposing Masters at the Van Gogh museum
The Van Gogh museum’s segment of the exhibition juxtaposes Kiefer’s monumental landscape paintings,some nearly 30 feet across,such as “Die Krähen (The Crows),” from 2019,and “De sterrennacht” (The Starry Night),from 2024,with van Gogh’s paintings. Van Gogh’s “Wheat Field With Crows,” (1890) and “Sunflowers Gone to Seed” (1890) are displayed nearby, highlighting the undeniable influence, although they appear diminutive in comparison.
Landscapes burdened by History
“are burdened by history,”