Van Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum is so popular it has taken steps, it was recently reported, to reduce visitor numbers. I can only assume Anselm Kiefer’s alienating exhibition is part of this plan to scare off the punters.
A curator lent weight to the suspicion by telling me “the sort of people who come here” may be perplexed to see this giant of contemporary art next to their idol Vincent. To herd these people into the museum’s exhibition wing, they’ve moved some of Van Gogh’s most beloved works there from the permanent collection. It’s a fatal decision – for Kiefer.
