On Friday, 17 April 2026, Lia Rumma Gallery, in Milan, opens a new solo exhibition by Anselm Kiefer. Its title, I wish to die in autumn moonlight even in darkness not to be lost, evokes a poem by 19th century Japanese poet, Buddhist nun, and ceramist Ōtagaki Rengetsu—to whom Kiefer also dedicates a painting, For Ōtagaki Rengetsu (2025–26)—which is presented at the overture of the exhibition.
The exhibition runs parallel to The Women Alchemists, which Kiefer conceived for the Sala delle Cariatidi at Palazzo Reale (curated by Gabriella Belli and open through September 2026), where large canvases of nearly six meters high evoke and depict women who, over the centuries, made fundamental contributions to modern science through alchemy. This female pantheon, painted by Kiefer, brings together names and voices forgotten by history, yet united by the lack of public recognition of their abilities and knowledge, in their own time and beyond.
