In October we visited the Kiefer / Van Gogh exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Not previously familiar with more than Kiefer’s name, the work and its relationship to van Gogh was stunning. Entirely different, one can nevertheless feel how Kiefer has responded to van Gogh in every image.
“In 1963, aged 18, Anselm Kiefer received a travel bursary that allowed him to follow in Vincent van Gogh’s footsteps through the Netherlands Belgium, and France, first in Paris and ending up in Arles and the neighbouring village of Fourques in Provence. On his travels, which he termed an ‘initiation journey, Kiefer kept a daiary filled with notes and drawings.” ﹣from the exhibition guide.