2023 NEWS
FLORENCE & GERTRUDE VISIT ANSELM KIEFER'S LA RIBAUTE AT BARJAC
We were delighted to accept an invitation by the Eschaton Foundation to visit Anselm Kiefer's amazing studios and installations at his site near Barjac, France in summer 2023. Below are some of our photographs and further information of this amazing experience which will be detailed further in the updated version of our book - Arting around south of France.
Over the course of several decades, Anselm Kiefer has transformed La Ribaute—a 40-hectare site located in the south of France in Barjac, north of Nîmes—into a uniquely immersive artistic environment, creating numerous installations, often at monumental scale. Guided tours of La Ribaute, Barjac offer visitors a chance to encounter a curated selection of works by Kiefer, as well as those by five other artists. All visits to La Ribaute take the form of a guilded tour of the site which is open seasonally, from mid-April to the end of October, with a summer break (in 2023, this will run from August 6 – September 6 inclusive). Tours take place on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and are usuallly available in French, English and German, with each tour having space for up to 16 visitors.
The La Ribaute guided tour lasts approximately three hours and explores a curated selection of Kiefer’s works. The tour includes works from 1990s-present encompassing a selection of major sculptures, paintings and site-specific installations. There is also a shorter tour of 90 minutes that concentrates on some of the artists sculptures, including the monumental reinforced concrete works pictured below, whose ribbed textured appearance is created by the sides of steel shipping containers that were used as shuttering during their construction. We were told that one of these sculptures had in fact crashed to the ground and the resulting pile of tangled steel and concrete is now displayed as a work in its own right housed in a purpose made building.
The site is easy to locate, a few minutes north of Barjac, just off the main road to Vallon Pont d'Arc. A new car park has been created for visitors and once parked you assemble at the gates, on mass, and wait for security to give you access. Once in the site it's a short stroll to the central area from where the tours are organised and toilet facilities are located. Please note there are no catering facilities or gift shop on site so bring some drinks and perhaps make your own Anselm Kiefer inspired sculpture when you get home, we did!
Over the course of his career, Anselm Kiefer has lived and worked in various studios in Germany, France, Austria, Portugal, and the United States. Kiefer’s studios represent and encapsulate significant periods in his life and work. Some of these studios have evolved over time into immersive environments that embody all aspects of his artistic practice. In 1992, Anselm Kiefer left Germany and acquired “La Ribaute,” an old silk factory in Barjac, becoming the epicenter of Kiefer’s creative work until 2007 when he moved his main artistic practice to the surroundings of Paris. Over the past three decades, the artist expanded the site which was originally comprised of three 19th century stone buildings surrounded by woods and fields. By means of excavation and construction, La Ribaute has been transformed into an immersive art environment that currently spans 40 hectares and consists of around 80 art spaces.
Among these site-specific installations include a five-level concrete amphitheater, an underground network of crypts and tunnels, manmade ponds, and numerous in-situ works composed of both sculptures and paintings. Works at La Ribaute are emblematic of Kiefer’s oeuvre and illustrate different aspects of his artistic practice from throughout the decades. His interest in a wide variety of materials and techniques—photography, woodcut, lead, bronze, plaster, fabric, plants, straw, oil, watercolor—is thoroughly present, as is his fondness for subjects such as poetry, Jewish mysticism, History, scientific theories, and the cyclical nature of life. In 2014, marking a significant moment in the evolution of the site, Anselm Kiefer invited Wolfgang Laib to create a permanent installation at La Ribaute titled 'From the Known to the Unknown-To Where Is Your Oracle Leading You'. Since then, Kiefer has continued to invite a selection of artists to engage with La Ribaute, facilitating collaborations with Laurie Anderson (2018), VALIE EXPORT (2019), and Giovanni Anselmo (2021) each contributed work that now forms a permanent part of the site.
Anselm Kiefer: A Confrontation with the Past and a Reclamation of Spaces
Anselm Kiefer, born on 8th March 1945, is a German artist renowned for his commitment to confronting his country's dark past and exploring existential questions through his artwork. His medium of choice encompasses a range of materials including straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac, thereby embodying his "spiritual connection" with these materials. The essence of Kiefer's work is steeped in themes from Nazi rule, historical events, and figures, rendering his art as an attempt to grapple with and process the past. This approach has linked his work with the New Symbolism and Neo-Expressionism movements.
Born a few months before the end of World War II in Donaueschingen, Kiefer's formative years were marked by the devastation of the war. His early education was in pre-law and romance languages at the University of Freiburg, but he eventually shifted to studying art in Freiburg and Karlsruhe. It was in Karlsruhe that he studied under Peter Dreher, a realist and figurative painter, receiving an art degree in 1969.
Kiefer's journey as an artist took a definitive turn in 1971 when he moved to Hornbach and established a studio. This period, extending until his relocation to France in 1992, is known as "The German Years" - a time when Kiefer's work was deeply engaged with Germany's history and identity.
In 1992, Kiefer moved to France, leaving his first family in Germany. He resided in Barjac, a town where he transformed an abandoned silk factory into La Ribaute, a vast studio-estate that became a hub of his creativityThis site, with its labyrinthine grounds, pavilions, and passageways, stands as a testament to major themes in Kiefer's work: regeneration, mythology, and memory. Kiefer's relationship with La Ribaute was not merely as a place of work but also as a source of materials for his art. He sowed sunflowers and tulips, which found their way into his paintings.
The transformation of La Ribaute was a process that spanned almost three decades. The result is a total work of art, a Gesamtkunstwerk, reflecting Kiefer's extensive engagement with the space and materials. Kiefer's reluctance to showcase his work in progress underlines the intertwining of his life and art, lending an inherent state of incompletion to the site. His work at La Ribaute serves as an embodiment of his artistic philosophy, creating a space for total immersion into his world.
Throughout his career, Kiefer has drawn inspiration from an array of sources, from traditional mythology and literature to Judeo-Christian, ancient Egyptian, and Oriental cultures. His exploration of these diverse themes points to his relentless search for the meaning of existence and the representation of the incomprehensible and non-representational.
Anslem Kiefer's La Ribaute - just steps away from the birthplace of reinforced concrete. We wonder, is this coincidence or is there something else that cements the fact?
One thing there's no doubt about, Anselm Kiefer loves reinforced concrete, his site at Barjac is stuffed with it. But is this just an artist with a passion for a certain material or was he influenced and inspired by the fact that the materials inventor was born just twenty five miles away some two hundred years earlier.
Joseph Monier was a French gardener and inventor, best known for creating the revolutionary material of reinforced concrete in the mid-19th century. Born on November 8, 1823, in Saint Quentin la Poterie, about twenty five miles from Barjac in the direction of Uzes. Monier started his career as a gardener, crafting practical planters that would be durable, lightweight, and able to retain water. His search for a better material led him to combine iron mesh with concrete in the 1860s, creating the predecessor to today's reinforced concrete. The structural properties of this combination were impressive; the concrete resisted the compressive forces while the iron or steel reinforcement bore the tension, producing a material that was both robust and versatile. This discovery would later prove instrumental in the construction of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructural elements worldwide.
On the other hand, Anselm Kiefer, born decades later in 1945, is a renowned German painter and sculptor whose works often delve into the collective memory, history, and mythology. His monumental sculptures and installations at his studio in Barjac have stirred both fascination and discussion. Kiefer's Barjac complex, a vast 35-hectare site, is filled with numerous installations and earthworks, many of them made using reinforced concrete. The concrete is rugged, elemental, and, at times, brutally direct—traits that resonate well with Kiefer's themes.
One might conjecture that the proximity of Joseph Monier's birthplace to Anselm Kiefer's Barjac site might have influenced Kiefer's choice of materials. Reinforced concrete, as an invention of a man from a nearby town, could be seen as a way to connect with the region's history. Besides, reinforced concrete carries within it the promise and the price of modernity, embodying both the aspiration of human ingenuity and the potential for catastrophe—a dichotomy which could resonate with Kiefer's exploration of post-war themes and the dual nature of human civilization. Kiefer's utilization of reinforced concrete, born out of Monier's invention, could also be seen as a nod to the industrial era and its impact on society—a theme often present in Kiefer's work. This interpretation aligns with the artist's broader engagement with history and culture, whether through the use of lead, straw, or other materials.
However, as fascinating as this connection might seem, it's also important to note that Kiefer's choice of reinforced concrete could be attributed to its physical properties and aesthetics. Its rugged texture, robustness, and resilience make it a perfect medium for Kiefer's monumental installations, symbolizing endurance, history, and the passing of time. Without explicit comments from Kiefer linking his work to Monier, this connection remains speculative. Nevertheless, this hypothesis offers an interesting perspective into the possible influences that may shape an artist's choice of materials and themes, underscoring the multi-dimensional nature of artistic creation.
Photograph above copyright Anselm Kiefer.
Here's an artistic solution to a problem. At Anselm Kiefer's La Ribaute at Barjac the artist wanted to connect some parts of the original silk mill buildings so he could move seamlessly from one part to the other. The answer of course was some kind of covered walkway but not perhaps in a style most of us would think of.
La Ribaute, Anselm Kiefer’s Studio-Estate in Barjac, France resembles more a film set than a sculpture park. There are buildings, installations and constructions eveywhere, most containing sculptures. Some are smaller industrial type units or glass houses like those pictured here, others are massive, like a Hollywood sound stage.
Other artists at Anselm Kiefer's La Ribaute studio complex at Barjac, France
In 2014, Anselm Kiefer invited Wolfgang Laib to create a permanent installation at La Ribaute. Laib’s large-scale installation, From the Known to the Unknown—To Where Is Your Oracle Leading You, marked a significant moment in the evolution of La Ribaute. By welcoming and integrating works by other artists into the complex fabric of his studio-estate, Kiefer continues to facilitate new collaborations and conversations with artists whom he admires. Since 2014, responding to Kiefer’s invitation, Laurie Anderson (2018), Valie Export (2019), Giovanni Anselmo (2020-2021) and Monica Bonvicini (2022) have created permanent, site-specific installations at La Ribaute, Barjac.
Wolfgang Laib creates sculptures and installations where the past and present seem to be at one. He uses organic materials of great simplicity and symbolism, usually associated with the idea of subsistence, including materials such as pollen, milk, beeswax or rice. Ritual plays a central role in his process of formal reduction and is part of his modest aesthetic.
Laurie Anderson is one of America’s most renowned and daring creative pioneers. Best known for her multimedia presentations, innovative use of technology and first-person style, she is a writer, director, visual artist and vocalist who has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater, and experimental music.
Valie Export - a pioneer in film, video and installation art, valie export has produced one of the most significant bodies of feminist art in the post-war period. Her groundbreaking films and performances in the 1960s and 1970s introduced a new form of radical, embodied feminism to Europe, examining the politics of the body in relation to its environment, culture and society.
Giovanni Anselmo - considered to be one of the key protagonists of the Arte Povera movement at the end of the 1960s, Anselmo has continued to pursue and explore his practice in relation to nature, the finite and the indefinite, the visible and the invisible.
Monica Bonvicini emerged as a visual artist and started exhibiting internationally in the mid-1990s. Her multifaceted practice investigates the relationship between architecture, power structures, gender and space. Her research is translated into works that question the meaning of making art, the ambiguity of language, and the limits and possibilities connected to the ideal of freedom.
Photograph above copyright Anselm Kiefer
Joseph Monier and the history of his invention of reinforced concrete
Joseph Monier, a horticulturist by trade, had his first rendezvous with the phenomenon of reinforced concrete while in pursuit of a more durable alternative to clay or wooden pots. The brittleness of clay and susceptibility of wood to weather and root penetration pushed Monier to experiment with concrete pots. However, concrete in its raw form wasn't robust enough, leading Monier to reinforce it with iron mesh. This fusion wasn't novel in the era, but Monier recognized the potential and spearheaded its popularization.
The Paris Exposition of 1867 served as the debut stage for his innovation, followed by the acquisition of his first patent related to iron-reinforced horticultural troughs later that same year. Over time, he discovered myriad applications for the material, earning more patents for iron-reinforced concrete pipes, panels, bridges, and beams.
Reinforced concrete was an ingenious blend of steel and concrete, combining their finest attributes. Concrete's compressive strength was complemented by steel's tensile strength. This collaboration breathed new life into concrete, previously shunned in the construction of beams and slabs due to its lack of tensile strength. When reinforced with steel rods, its strength escalated dramatically.
Upon witnessing Monier's creations at the Paris Exposition, François Hennébique saw the potential of this material in construction and subsequently established his own firm. Later, German engineer Gustav Adolf Wayss further expanded on Monier's innovation after acquiring his patent in 1885.
Born to a family of horticulturists serving the duc d'Uzès in Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, Monier, one of ten children, didn't receive formal education. At 17, he was working as a gardener for the duke in Paris, and it was here that he honed his literacy skills through evening classes.
His work exposed him to high-society, paving the way for his career trajectory. In 1846, he joined the Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre. Responsible for the orangery, he sought stronger containers for the orange trees, thus sparking his experiment with cement and iron rods.
Monier's containers also found use in water collection and storage for gardens during a time when municipal water systems were still in infancy. Besides his job at the Tuileries, Monier had a small workshop and undertook landscaping projects across locations. He shaped plain concrete into garden decorations, and eventually showcased his innovations at the Paris International Exhibition in 1867, earning his first patent for containers the same month.
The Franco-Prussian War in 1870 brought adversity to Monier's business, but he and his workers managed to rebuild under the harsh conditions of the Paris Commune. Once peace was restored, the business flourished again, as did Monier's reputation. He built numerous reservoir tanks and even constructed a bridge in 1875, securing another patent to cover this innovation.
The later part of Monier's career was marked with trials, with his firm declared bankrupt in 1888. However, he bounced back, forming a new company in 1890. His last known project was a service reservoir for an Old People's Home at Clamart.
Despite the tribulations, Monier's contribution to the construction industry resonates till this day. His patents extended beyond France, popularized by Gustav Adolf Wayss under the banner of "Monierbau" or "Monier construction". The synergy of steel and concrete sparked a revolution in construction engineering that significantly impacted the industry's future.