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In the work ‘Anselm hic fuit’ (from the Latin ‘Anselm was here’), the German artist Anselm Kiefer (*1945) portrays the Rhine in deep turquoise, green and brown tones against a glowing golden sky. It is one of a series of works entitled ‘My Rhine’, which pay homage to the river and the surrounding forests.

The painting is characterised by a powerful materiality created by the dense layering and impasto application of the colours, gold leaf and electrolysis deposits. Kiefer alludes to themes of transformation and the transience of time. Kiefer has written the title of the work in his characteristic cursive handwriting on the top left-hand edge of the painting.

The work by Anselm Kiefer is a spectacular new acquisition; a permanent loan that the museum owes to Eberhard Robke and his Renate and Eberhard Robke Foundation. The monumental painting from 2023 comes from Kiefer's most recent group of works, which was recently on display in the ‘Mein Rhein’ exhibition at the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Salzburg. ‘Excavations in the wildernesses of memory’ is how Florian Illies describes this series of works in the catalogue.

Museum Director Dr Roland Mönig: ‘We are very pleased about this new addition! Anselm Kiefer is one of the world's most important contemporary artists. His work from the new series of Rhine Paintings has both autobiographical and cultural-historical references and fits perfectly into our multifaceted collection of 19th to 21st century painting.’

Eberhard Robke: ‘Securing the work for the Von der Heydt Museum was a particular concern for us as a foundation. It's great that it can now be seen directly in the exhibition ‘Times and Spaces. Classics of the Collection: Ruisdal to Giacometti' exhibition, where it sets a very contemporary accent.’