Anselm Kiefer’s “Becoming the Sea” Premieres in Saint Louis

The Saint Louis Art Museum is currently hosting a monumental exhibition, “Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea,” offering locals a unique opportunity to experience the profound work of a world-renowned artist. This significant show, featuring over 40 pieces, draws a direct line from Kiefer’s formative 1991 journey up the Mississippi River right here in our backyard to his most recent creations.

The Mississippi’s Enduring Influence on Kiefer

While Kiefer’s 2022 exhibition at Venice’s Doge’s Palace captivated with “luxurious destruction,” the Saint Louis Art Museum provides an equally fitting, albeit vastly different, backdrop for his latest works. The common thread uniting these disparate locations is water—a crucial element in Kiefer’s expansive, often tide pool-like worlds. It was during a 1991 visit to St. Louis that Kiefer embarked on a journey up the Mississippi, a trip that profoundly resonated with the artist, evoking memories of the Rhine River from his childhood. This formative experience reshaped his relationship to landscape and history, laying the groundwork for many of the powerful pieces now on display.

Monumental Canvases Reflecting Riverine Depths

The exhibition proudly showcases 40 works spanning from the 1970s to the present day, including more than 20 created within the last five years and five truly monumental, site-specific paintings. Among these is the colossal “Missouri, Mississippi” (2024), a breathtaking canvas measuring an impressive 30 feet by 27 feet, directly commemorating his pivotal 1991 river trip. The painting dramatically depicts the artist’s encounter with the Melvin Price Lock and Dam in Alton, Illinois, with turbulent waves crashing against a towering edifice topped by mysterious, Parthenon-like structures. The upper panel of this gigantic work reveals water swirling around a reclining female figure, perhaps a tortured river goddess or a poignant symbol of demise, deeply embedding local geography into a universal narrative.

Other works within the exhibition further illuminate the vast scope of Kiefer’s vision. “Die Orden der Nacht (The Orders of the Night)” (1996) seemingly draws inspiration from his feeling of being dwarfed by the dam, presenting the artist in a Savasana (corpse pose) beneath enormous black sunflowers that appear to absorb all light. “Die Milchstraße (The Milky Way)” (1985-87), predating his Mississippi trip, showcases his characteristic instinct to transform ruined battlefields into mythic landscapes, with stars siphoned into a ditch via thin metal tubes. Even “Maginot” (1982-2013) echoes this vein of reflecting monumental human structures and their often-somber implications.

From Desolation to Glimmers of Optimism

The exhibition title itself, “Becoming the Sea,” is rooted in lines by beat poet Gregory Corso about eternal life, hinting at a potential shift in Kiefer’s often intensely postwar and desolate landscapes. Probing the enduring effect of the Mississippi on Kiefer’s perspective, two works dedicated to Corso are particularly revealing. “Becoming the ocean, for Gregory Corso” (2024), despite its dry and puckered texture, still suggests the ocean as a battlefield, yet incorporates fascinating materials like “sediment of electrolysis.” However, it’s “Für Gregory Corso” (2024) that perhaps most overtly hints at a nascent optimism. Here, a contented woman floats in the night sky above the waves, appearing as a spirit that perseveres amidst widespread desolation. This suggests the Mississippi journey might have been where Kiefer first began to configure a form of hope into his powerful, often somber, artistic language.

Exhibition Insights: Venice vs. Saint Louis

Frequently Asked Questions

• When does the exhibition “Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea” run?
  The exhibition is on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum through January 25, 2026.
• What makes this exhibition particularly significant for Saint Louis?
  The show directly relates to Anselm Kiefer’s formative 1991 journey up the Mississippi River from St. Louis, making it deeply connected to the local landscape and history.
• Does the exhibition feature new works by Kiefer?
  Yes, it includes more than 20 works made in the last five years, along with five monumental site-specific paintings, including “Missouri, Mississippi” (2024).
• Who is Gregory Corso, and what is his connection to the exhibition?
  Gregory Corso was a Beat poet whose lines about eternal life inspired the title of the exhibition, “Becoming the Sea,” and two dedicated works explore themes of perseverance and optimism.
• What are some key themes explored in the exhibition?
  Key themes include water, landscape, history, the human relationship with natural and man-made structures, destruction, and a nuanced exploration of optimism amidst desolation.

Don’t miss this rare chance to witness how a global art giant found profound inspiration in our very own Mississippi River. A visit to the Saint Louis Art Museum for “Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea” promises a powerful and reflective experience, connecting local geography with universal artistic themes.

Mississippi Journey Inspires Kiefer Art in Saint Louis