Anselm Kiefer inaugurates Monumenta at Grand Palais with Sternenfall

Anselm Kiefer will inaugurate the new Monumenta exhibition program at the Grand Palais in Paris with Sternenfall (Chute d'étoiles), running from May 31 to July 8, 2007. The exhibition, curated by José Alvarez, combines constructions, sculptures, and paintings largely created as a tribute to poets Paul Celan and Ingeborg Bachmann. Monumenta is a new annual program that will feature a different artist each year under the Grand Palais's glass roof; Richard Serra is scheduled for 2008 and Christian Boltanski for 2009. In an interview, Kiefer discusses the monumental aspect of his project in relation to his property in Barjac (Gard), where he has been radically modifying the landscape for several years. This architectural dimension was also explored in London during the winter at White Cube gallery and in the courtyard of the Royal Academy.