The Royal Academy of Arts in London is hosting "Kiefer/Van Gogh" (28 June–26 October), a focused exhibition pairing Anselm Kiefer's monumental multimedia works with Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings. The show, curated by Julien Domercq, features seven huge Kiefer pieces including the 8.4m-wide "The Starry Night" (2019) and a single sculpture, alongside 11 Van Gogh works—five on loan from the Van Gogh Museum. It previously ran at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where it drew 340,000 visitors. The London iteration is smaller but includes different works, with a central room dedicated to Van Gogh's pieces spanning his career.
This exhibition matters because it draws a direct lineage between two major artists separated by a century, highlighting how Kiefer's apocalyptic, material-heavy style is deeply indebted to Van Gogh's emotional intensity and landscape vision. The collaboration between the Royal Academy and the Van Gogh Museum underscores institutional efforts to create cross-generational dialogues. The show's logistical feat—installing Kiefer's massive works in the RA's historic galleries—and its commercial echo at White Cube (a concurrent Kiefer show) reflect the enduring market and cultural fascination with both artists.