Anselm Kiefer. Le Alchimiste
The new site-specific work by Anselm Kiefer, one of the most influential international contemporary artists, has arrived at Palazzo Reale. This exhibition, set up in the Sala delle Cariatidi, will invite visitors to interact with works that reflect on female history, painting, and memory. It was specifically conceived to engage with the dramatic beauty of this majestic space, scarred by the 1943 bombings, yet still capable of evoking a past of splendour and ruin.
The exhibition presents a cycle of around forty large canvases, forming a unique body of work, dedicated to as many women—often forgotten by official history, persecuted, or excluded—who assertively have come back for a representation of their role as charismatic and courageous figures, fundamental to the birth of modern scientific thought.
Through his material and highly symbolic paintings, the German artist returns to a recurring theme in his works: the depiction of the creative and redemptive power of women throughout history, through an identity-defining journey of destruction and regeneration.
The exhibition “The Alchemists,” curated by art historian Gabriella Belli, is promoted by the City of Milan-Culture and produced by Palazzo Reale and Marsilio Arte, with the contribution of the Gagosian and Lia Rumma Galleries.
On the occasion of the exhibition, Unipol, as the main sponsor, will be hosting the work “Caterina Sforza” at its Milan headquarters. She is one of the alchemists celebrated by the German artist: a great lady of the Renaissance, a scientist and war leader, and the proud Countess of Forlì.
This work will be on display at the Unipol Tower from 9 February to 30 June 2026. To view it, reservations are required on the website of CUBO, the Unipol Group’s corporate museum, at the following link: https://www.cubounipol.it/it/servizi/visita-guidata-milano.
