LA RIBAUTE, ESCHATON–FONDATION
ANSELM KIEFER, BARJAC, FRANCE
Die Himmelspaläste, 2003-2018, Photo: Charles Duprat / Copyright: Anselm Kief
“La Ribaute”,
Anselm Kiefer's former workshop-residence in Barjac in the Gard department of
France, is well worth a visit. It is once again open to the public from 9th
April-2nd August and then
from 2nd September-31st
October 2025. The works exhibited
at La Ribaute are emblematic of the German artist's career (1945) and
illustrate different aspects of his artistry over the decades. ‘La Ribaute’, a former silk mill in Barjac,
was purchased by Anselm Kiefer in 1992, who then turned it into the focus of
his artistry until 2007, when he moved his studio to the Paris region. Over the
past three decades, the artist has turned La Ribaute into an immersive art
environment that currently extends over 40 hectares and encompasses some 80 art
spaces. These site-specific installations include a five-level concrete
amphitheatre, an underground network of crypts and tunnels, artificial pools
and numerous in situ sculptures and paintings.
Les
Femmes de l’Antiquité, Ensemble de 17 sculptures, 1999-2002, Photo: Charles
Duprat / Copyright: Anselm Kiefer
2014 was an
important moment in the site's development when Anselm Kiefer invited the
German artist Wolfgang Laib to La Ribaute, who created a permanent installation
entitled From the Known to the Unknown-To Where Is Your Oracle Leading You.
Since then, Kiefer has invited a selection of other artists, setting up new
synergies with Laurie Anderson (2018), VALIE EXPORT (2019), Giovanni Anselmo
(2021) and Monica Bonvicini (2022), who have all designed works in situ that
are now an integral part of La Ribaute.
Ra, 2018, Photo: Georges Poncet / Copyright: Anselm Kiefer
In accordance
with Kiefer's desire to open his former workshop to the public, all visits take
the form of guided tours and can be booked by clicking here:
