Anselm Kiefer’s Florentine Takeover at Palazzo Strozzi

With the Venice Biennale around the corner, we found ourselves reminiscing about the artists, artworks, and exhibitions from the previous edition that linger in our minds.

Anselm Kiefer‘s takeover of Sala dello Scrutinio in Palazzo Ducale got the resounding vote. Even the hour-queue snaking around the Gothic building didn’t taint the memory.

Stepping into the resplendent chamber that once held elections in the Venetian republic, visitors were greeted with the German artist’s gargantuan floor-to-ceiling canvases. Standing there, faced with Kiefer’s imposing, gold-gilded facades, you felt yourself go into a silent reverence.

The memories of this show will long live in the minds of those lucky enough to have visited Venice that summer. But for those who didn’t, there’s another chance—this time, in nearby Florence.

Palazzo Strozzi presents Anselm Kiefer. Fallen Angels (22 March–21 July 2024), an exhibition of 25 new and historical works, encompassing painting, sculpture, installation, and photography across the Renaissance courtyard and rooms of the Piano Nobile.

‘In Venice, I transformed the Sala della Scrutinio, imbuing it with my artistic vision,’ Kiefer told the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi’s Director General, Arturo Galasino. ‘In contrast, at Palazzo Strozzi, I intended to work with each room specifically, in accordance with the selected themes.’

In the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi, visitors are met with the seven-metre-tall painting Engelssturz (Fall of the Angel) (2022–2023), depicting a passage from the biblical Book of Revelation that describes the battle between archangel Michael and rebel angels, a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil.

Kiefer’s painting—adorned with gold leaf reminiscent of Gothic polyptychs and a central angel inspired by Luca Giordiano’s Expulsion of the Rebel Angels or St. Michael (1689–1702)—fuses tradition and contemporaneity. This tension is reinforced by the austere Renaissance architecture within which it is placed.

In another room, glass vitrines house predominantly lead sculptures inspired by Scandinavian literature or kabbalistic thought. While paintings of sunflowers and snakes—common motifs in Kiefer’s work—refer to the triumph of light over darkness and regeneration.

But for me, like with his Venice show, it’s the scale that he works with that continues to astound and Verstrahlte Bilder (Irradiated Paintings) (1983–2023)—a staggering immersive jigsaw of 60 canvases in one of the largest rooms in Palazzo Strozzi—will do just that.

It seems implausible that the curatorial team even entertained the idea of attaching his hefty, and often delicate, canvases onto the ceiling of this room. However, with the inclusion of the table-like mirror below amplifying this dizzying arrangement, it was worth the struggle.

Back in December, we spoke with Galansino who, since he was appointed as director general in 2015, has headed a new contemporary art programme, alongside the foundation’s Old Masters shows. Under Galansino, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi has exhibited Tomás Saraceno, Ai Weiwei, Bill Viola, Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, Anish Kapoor, and now Kiefer.

‘This isn’t your typical white cube or traditional museum. It’s a place for genuine dialogue with our history and identity, aiming to connect the past and the present, making both relevant,’ Galansino told Ocula.

‘It’s becoming more common to place contemporary art somewhere spectacular, in a historical setting. We believe that inviting artists to create within the unique contexts of institutions like this one, specifically thinking about Florence, is one of the key elements of our success.’

Main image: Exhibition view: Anselm Kiefer, Fallen Angels, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence (22 March–21 July 2024). © Anselm Kiefer. Courtesy Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. Photo Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio.