The Eschaton-Anselm Kiefer Foundation exists to advance the artistic legacy of its founder, Anselm Kiefer. It does so by maintaining and cataloguing the contents of Kiefer’s archive, and by preserving La Ribaute, his studio-estate in Barjac, France, for future generations. The foundation also helps foster greater appreciation and understanding of contemporary art by organizing and supporting exhibitions, facilitating research and publication projects, and by presenting works by Kiefer and other artists to the public on group tours at La Ribaute.
Eschaton—Anselm Kiefer Foundation
Mission Statement
About the Foundation
Established by Anselm Kiefer in 2016, the Eschaton-Anselm Kiefer Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Salzburg, Austria. In December 2020, Kiefer gained approval from the French government for the donation of his studio-estate in Barjac, France – La Ribaute – to the foundation, realising his intention to make the works he had created in particular architectural settings accessible to the public.
The work of the Eschaton-Anselm Kiefer Foundation is overseen by its Board of Directors:
Dr. Janne Sirén (President)
Karl Singer (Vice President)
Daniel Kiefer
Waltraud Forelli
La Ribaute, Anselm Kiefer’s Studio-Estate in Barjac, France
Over the course of his career, Anselm Kiefer has lived and worked in studios in Germany, France, Austria, Portugal, and the United States. Over time, some of these studios have evolved into immersive environments that embody every aspect of Kiefer’s artistic practice.
La Ribaute, the artist’s studio-estate in Barjac, France (a village located 70 kilometers north-west of Avignon), was the epicenter of his creative work from 1992 to 2007. Since then, Kiefer has continued to develop the site, which now spans 40 hectares and consists of more than 90 art installations, all connected through an intricate network of paths, tunnels and underground crypts. One of the world’s most intriguing and complex artistic environments, La Ribaute offers an extensive representation of Kiefer’s work in various media.
La Ribaute will be open seasonally to the public beginning in May 2022; all visits to the site take the form of guided tours, and must be booked online and in advance – for more details, click here.
Anselm Kiefer’s Archive
In addition to working to preserve La Ribaute, the Eschaton-Anselm Kiefer Foundation is dedicated to the organization and preservation of a growing archive of material relating to Anselm Kiefer’s work. Documenting a career that to date spans five decades, this archive consists of a catalogue of Kiefer’s works; exhibition catalogues; interviews; photos and videos; and art historical publications and more than 2,000 digitalized reviews and articles about the artist; as well as essays by Kiefer himself.