David Chipperfield Architects builds concrete gallery around singular artwork in Germany

Anselm Kiefer Pavilion in Germany by David Chipperfield Architects

The Berlin office of David Chipperfield Architects has added a monolithic concrete gallery housing just one Anselm Kiefer painting to the grounds of the Carmen Würth Forum museum in Germany.

Situated on a grassy mound in Künzelsau, the Anselm Kiefer Pavilion was built in the sculpture garden of the Carmen Würth Forum, an art museum and conference hall by David Chipperfield Architects that opened in 2020.

The form of the gallery was determined by German painter Kiefer’s Schwarze Flocken, or Black Flakes, a large-scale artwork that had before been too large to exhibit in the museum.

Drawings and photographs

David Chipperfield Architects worked with Kiefer on the design of the pavilion to create a suitable setting for the 11-by-7.1-metre artwork, which was named after a poem by Holocaust survivor Paul Celan.

Designed to have a calming, sculptural appearance, the Anselm Kiefer Pavilion has a cuboid shape with a canopy that protrudes over the entrance.

It was made from brick and bush-hammered concrete, which references the concrete surfaces of the nearby Carmen Würth Forum building.

“The building’s form directly traces the interior volume specified by the artist and focuses on a few, precisely placed elements,” said David Chipperfield Architects.

“This structure is precisely tailored to the work and enables its first-ever public presentation,” it continued.

“A restrained portico provides shelter from the weather and marks the transition between landscape and exhibition space.”

Inside, clay plaster lines the walls and the timber roof structure overhead was left exposed.

Rooflights were designed to let natural light in and show its changing qualities throughout the day and seasons.

Interior of a gallery by David Chipperfield Architects

“The aim is not uniform illumination, but a focused, tranquil atmosphere that slows down the act of seeing and directs attention to the artwork,” said David Chipperfield Architects.

“Unlike conventional exhibition spaces, the room is not subject to strict climate control or lighting parameters,” it conitued.

“Its three-layer wall construction, comprising concrete, brickwork and an internal layer of clay plaster, is designed to adapt to varying climatic conditions and maintain frost-free conditions without active climate control.”

David Chipperfield Architects recently published a video celebrating two of the studio’s most important projects – the Hepworth Wakefield gallery in West Yorkshire and the Turner Contemporary museum in Margate.