The St. Louis Art Museum has opened "Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea," the first American survey of the German-born artist's work in 20 years. The exhibition features five monumental 30-foot-tall paintings, including the 2024 work "Lumpeguin, Cigwe, Animiki," inspired by Kiefer's 1991 visit to St. Louis and his memories of the Mississippi River. Museum Director Min Jung Kim curated the show, which explores Kiefer's signature use of texture, sculpture techniques, and themes of ruin and resurrection.
The exhibition matters because it re-introduces American audiences to one of the most influential living artists, whose work bridges painting, sculpture, and landscape on an epic scale. Kiefer's practice of intentionally damaging his canvases—burning, weathering, and burying them—offers a powerful meditation on destruction as a creative force. The show also deepens the St. Louis Art Museum's connection to Kiefer, who has maintained a decades-long relationship with the institution.