Anselm Kiefer painting too large to exhibit gets its own David Chipperfield pavilion
Launch of the building in Germany coincides with reopening of Kunsthalle Würth, which is marking its 25th anniversary with a major exhibition exploring the German artist’s oeuvre
A massive Anselm Kiefer painting, Black Flakes, that had been stored for nearly two decades, has been displayed publicly following the opening of a special pavilion in Germany. The artwork, which measures 11.2m high and 7.1m wide, was purchased in 2008 by Reinhold Würth, a German industrialist and collector, directly from Kiefer's studio.
The Würth Group decided to build a pavilion dedicated to this specific painting when it was deemed too large for any existing exhibition spaces. British architect David Chipperfield, in collaboration with Kiefer, designed the pavilion, which opened on October 13th in the sculpture garden adjacent to Museum Würth 2 in Künzelsau, northeast of Stuttgart.
Kiefer chose to create a freestanding pavilion, specifying its proportions, doorway size and position, and wall colors. The pavilion comprises a concrete building with a sheltered portico marking the transition from the landscape into the gallery, and roof lights that let in natural light. The opening of the pavilion coincides with the reopening of another Würth museum, Kunsthalle Würth, in Schwäbisch Hall, which has expanded its exhibition space by 600 sq. m.
The museum's 25th-anniversary exhibition, Anselm Kiefer—All That Is the Case, features more than 70 works from the Würth Collection and 21 loans from Kiefer's studio. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is also hosting an exhibition showcasing 42 paintings, watercolours, artist books, photos, and woodcuts created between 1969 and 1982, along with three new works by Kiefer, all of which were selected by curators Emilie Gordenker, Edwin Becker, and Leontine Coelewij.
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