Permeated by the ravaged landscapes of his childhood, in the late 1960s Anselm Kiefer’s body of work turned its focus to reflections on the origin of Evil and intimate exploration of the tragic nature of Nazism. A focus that led to a major series of actions.

The themes addressed in his work, underpinned by his wide knowledge of literature and with a basis in German history, cover a great many areas, from mythology to architecture by way of destruction, alchemy and geophysics.

Although he asserts that he thinks in images and always uses photography to create his paintings, up until now, Anselm Kiefer has very rarely or only partially presented this essential component of his work. The exhibition at the LaM is the first to take stock of his photographic practice, which has always been his career’s discreet companion.

Photography is of key importance in the construction of Anselm Kiefer’s process and approach. His first creations from in and around 1969 bear witness to the fact: photographs of the cathartic rituals to which he subjected himself, dressed in the Wehrmacht officer’s uniform his father had worn and making the Nazi salute on various symbolic sites in Italy, Switzerland and the south of France.

Likewise, most of the hundreds of unique books that he has created include photographs that have been glued, painted, erased, burnt, scribbled on, stained or “engineered” in one way or another. These days, all you need do is take a look inside his studio near Paris in order to understand the medium’s decisive role in Anselm Kiefer’s thought and environment. It is everywhere, in steel frames along the walls, and on the floor awaiting further processing.

In order to illustrate the full importance of photography in the artist’s body of work, the exhibition combines two viewpoints that help visitors understand how his work has evolved from the first photographs of the 1960s to the present day, gradually providing them with formats, numbers and subjects that put them on a level with his paintings. At the same time, the itinerary is divided into eight sections focusing on some of the essential chapters in his thought.

Sébastien Delot, Director - Curator of the LAM 

Commissariat 

Jean de Loisy, art historian and freelance exhibition curator 
Grégoire Prangé, exhibition curator responsible for coordination of conservation and publications at the LaM.

The exhibition and all the programming relating to celebration of the LaM’s 40th birthday enjoys the exceptional support of Lille European Metropolis and the sponsorship of the Fondation Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe, Grand Sponsor of LaM’s 40th birthday.

The exhibition was created in close collaboration with the artist and his studio. It enjoys the exceptional support of the Gagosian Gallery.