In 2017 White Cube presented an exhibition by Anselm Kiefer titled ‘Walhalla’, which featured large-scale installation, sculpture and painting. The title referred to the mythical place in Norse mythology, a paradise for those slain in battle, as well as to the Walhalla neo-classical monument, built by Ludwig I King of Bavaria in 1842 to honour heroic figures in German history.

The exhibition itself was comprised of paintings and sculptures, and took over all the Bermondsey galleries, including the corridor. This publication recorded this rich and complex installation in full bleed images of the show that allow the reader to experience the ambition, breadth, and magnitude of the overall installation.

Throughout his career, Kiefer has interwoven themes of history, politics and landscape, revisiting imagery and symbolism through different forms and media. His work conflates and connects themes, resonating with the idea of history as one continuous cycle. Focused on the major installation Walhalla in the central corridor, from which the other works thematically departed, the exhibition included sculptures, monumental paintings and two site-specific installations.

This publication offers a comprehensive record of this presentation, taking the reader on a journey through each of the galleries, and offering full scale installation views alongside illustrations of each of the individual works as well as details, which together made up one of the most ambitious shows ever to be staged at the gallery.

Edited by Honey Luard
Text by John-Paul Stonard
Designed by Zak Group
330 x 235 mm, hardback
288 pages, 179 colour and 65 black and white illustrations
ISBN 978-1-910844-16-8
Published by White Cube, 2017

John-Paul Stonard is a writer, art historian and member of the consultative committee of the Burlington Magazine.