The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is presenting "Anselm Kiefer: Becoming the Sea," a landmark exhibition featuring new, large-scale paintings and sculptures by the renowned German artist. The works, including 30-foot-tall paintings like "Missouri, Mississippi" (2024) and "Lumpeguin, Cigwe, Animiki" (2025), were created specifically for SLAM's soaring Sculpture Hall after Kiefer revisited St. Louis in 2023. The exhibition draws on Kiefer's 1991 visit to the city, where he was deeply impressed by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and brings together themes of rivers, borders, memory, and cultural metaphor.
This exhibition matters because it positions St. Louis as a world-class art destination, showcasing a major contemporary artist's site-specific response to the city's geography and history. It highlights the Saint Louis Art Museum's ability to attract and host a landmark show, reinforcing the cultural significance of free museums in the region. The article also underscores the enduring relevance of Kiefer's work, which connects German and American landscapes through visual dialogue, and elevates St. Louis's status beyond its well-known music, food, and sports heritage.