Since the late 1960s, Anselm Kiefer has explored the profound depths of human history through his work. For his first American retrospective in twenty years, he takes the river as a metaphor for the flux of life and passage of time. Breathtaking new landscapes join iconic works to celebrate the achievements of his nearly sixty-year career. Becoming the Ocean explores Kiefer’s remarkable body of work. From his early evocative landscapes of postwar Europe to his later, monumental canvases on themes of destruction and regeneration, Kiefer’s oeuvre challenges our understanding of history and memory. Catalogue highlights include previously unpublished artist writings, lavish illustrations and contributions by writers who inspired Kiefer’s famously literary art.