The Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero in Valencia hosts Anselm Kiefer's first temporary exhibition in Spain in 20 years, featuring a 13-meter work never shown in Europe before. The German artist, born in 1945 amid postwar ruins, displays pieces exploring German history and mythology. Curator Javier Molins calls his work 'an unfathomable ocean of so many layers'.
The Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero marks its second anniversary with an exhibition by Anselm Kiefer, backed by patron Hortensia Herrero, wife of Mercadona owner Juan Roig. Rising from the ruins of an old palace, the center presents the German artist's works for the first time in Spain since the Guggenheim Bilbao show two decades ago.
Kiefer, born March 8, 1945, in Donaueschingen, played amid World War II rubble. His pieces, held in the Centre Pompidou, MoMA, Tate, and Louvre—the only living artist shown there—tackle Nazi heritage, Greek mythology, alchemy, and poetry by Baudelaire and Celan. In 1969, he stirred controversy with 'Ocupaciones,' photos posing the Nazi salute.
The highlight is 'Danaë,' 13 meters long, dubbed Kiefer's 'Guernica' by curator Javier Molins and shown in Europe for the first time. Kiefer cautions against size obsession: 'Quality has nothing to do with meters.' It blends the Danaë myth—impregnated by Zeus's golden rain—with Berlin's Tempelhof airport, a former Nazi symbol now a park.
His canvases use lead, which changes over time and bears 'the weight of history,' per the artist. Lead-gray landscapes and ashes evoke regeneration, as Herrero notes: 'In the darkness of his painting, there is always light in a flower.' At 81, Kiefer missed the opening due to illness.
