Anselm Kiefer is the only alive artist who has been commissioned by the Louvre and, indeed, the only artist to have been commissioned by the institution since 1953. Aurora was previously exhibited in the Hermitage Museum in 2017 as part of the special “Anselm Kiefer, for Velimir Khlebnikov” exhibition.

Anselm Kiefer, Aurora

Kiefer is known for his large-scale works which explore the issues of memory, cultural mythology, literature, religion and philosophy. The purchase of ‘Aurora’ was funded jointly by the museum’s acquisition fund and Vladimir Potanin Foundation. Vladimir Potanin Foundation is well-known throughout Russia for its contributions to art and culture, including its role in the remarkable donation of more than 250 works of modern and contemporary Russian art to the Centre Georges Pompidou in 2016.