Kiefer. The Women Alchemists
Palazzo Reale, Milan - Sala delle Cariatidi 
February, 7th - September, 27th 2026
The exhibition
A monumental tribute to alchemists: the new site-specific work by Anselm Kiefer, one of the most influential contemporary artists internationally, arrives at Palazzo Reale in Milan. This project, specially designed for Sala delle Cariatidi, will invite visitors to interact with works that reflect on history, painting, and female memory.Promoted by the Municipality of Milan-Culture and produced by Palazzo Reale and Marsilio Arte, with the contribution of Gagosian and Galleria Lia Rumma and with the support of Main Sponsors Unipol and Banca Ifis, the project is part of the cultural program of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Curated by art historian Gabriella Belli, it will be set up in Sala delle Cariatidi of Palazzo Reale in Milan from February, 7th to September, 27th, 2026.
A site-specific work for Sala delle Cariatidi
The Women Alchemists presents a cycle of fourty-two large canvases, designed specifically to dialogue with the dramatic beauty of Sala delle Cariatidi: a majestic setting marked by the wounds of the 1943 bombing, still capable today of evoking a past of splendor and ruin. After exceptionally welcoming Picasso Guernica’s masterpiece in 1953, Sala delle Cariatidi has hosted exhibitions and projects by exceptional artists over the years.
Photo by Paolo Pellegrin
© Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio
© Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio
© Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Nina Slavcheva
© Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Nina Slavcheva
The project’s link with the city of Milan is special, where Caterina Sforza lived during her youth, daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, scientist, leader and author of a rare manuscript containing more than 400 recipes for medicines, cosmetics and alchemical formulas. Kiefer voices her and several other female alchemists: if some of these female figures –such as Caterina Sforza, Isabella Cortese, Mary Judea – are known to the general public, other names, such as that of Marie Meudrac, Rebecca Vaughan, Mary Anne Atwood, Anne Marie Ziegler, are rather unknown. Through his material and strongly symbolic painting, the German artist makes visible what has been buried: faces and bodies that emerge from his canvases as apparitions, revealing a world of persecuted, hidden, but fundamental female intelligences for the birth of modern scientific thought. Since the beginning of Anselm Kiefer’s career in the early 1970s, a recurring theme in his work has been the depiction of the creative and redemptive powers of women in history.
Alchemy, art, and women: a new pantheon
The exhibition is not limited to a historical restoration project, but also creates a true female pantheon, where alchemists, thanks to the artist, emerge from the past with features and attributes attributable both to the scant biographical information that has come down to us and to the painter’s visionary intuition. Phantom figures, poised between myth, science, magic, and philosophy: their stories speak of discoveries and experiments, medical remedies, beauty cures. Scientists ante litteram, capable of expertly manipulating stills and ovens to create ingenious distillation processes, healthy recipes for the body and mind. Their stories also speak of exclusion, disguises, condemnations, and abjurations. Women with a formidable intuitive intelligence and rigor, who sought answers in nature, dedicating themselves to concrete, experimental knowledge before modern science. These women devoted themselves more to caring for the body and spirit, than to the abstract search for the “philosopher’s stone”.
A unique artistic and symbolic project
The canvases that make up The Women Alchemists can be considered inseparable and form a unique, profoundly symbolic work. It intertwines central themes in the artist’s work: myth, history, collective memory, identity, destruction and regeneration. Painting becomes an alchemical language, whose processes, such as electrolysis and fire, become narrative tools.
Each picture offers itself as an act of resurrection: a face that emerges, a story, a matter that transfigures itself. Kiefer, interpreting the alchemical motto Obscurum per obscurius, ignotum per ignotius (“the dark through the darkest, the unknown through the even more unknown”), invites the visitor to immerse himself in an emotionally engaging, almost initiatory path.
An exhibition-event for Milan
Conceived for Sala delle Cariatidi — a space already rich in historical significance — The Women Alchemists represents an exhibition event of great importance for Milan and for the international art scene, confirming Palazzo Reale’s desire to dialogue with contemporary art. The project also pays homage to Milan, the city of Leonardo and the scientific and cultural tradition, through the figure of Caterina Sforza, heir and witness of the Sforza era. The inauguration will coincide with the opening of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and the exhibition will continue until September 2026, intertwining with the city’s main events.
The catalogue, published by Marsilio Arte, is edited by Gabriella Belli and contains essays and contributions by Natacha Fabbri, Gabriele Guercio, and Lawrence Principe.
News ed Eventi
Private events
A reflection between history, painting and female memory.
The Women Alchemists presents a cycle of fourty-two large canvases, specifically designed to dialogue with the dramatic beauty of Sala delle Cariatidi: a majestic environment marked by the wounds of the bombing of 1943, still capable of evoking a past of splendor and ruin. After exceptionally welcoming Picasso Guernica’s masterpiece in 1953, Sala delle Cariatidi has hosted exhibitions and projects by exceptional artists over the years.
Get an exclusive preview of the great Kiefer exhibition with the Early Bird promotion
Until February 6th, everyone who buys tickets for the Anselm Kiefer exhibition can take advantage of an exclusive advantage: the Early Bird rate at 12.00 € + pre-sale, valid only for purchases made before the official opening and for fixed-date tickets. A unique opportunity to secure entry to one of the most anticipated cultural events of 2026, an immersive journey through alchemy, transformation, memory, and rebirth in the setting of Sala delle Cariatidi.
Take advantage of the offer now and ensure quick and convenient access, choosing your preferred day and time slot in advance. Buy your Early Bird ticket today and prepare to discover a world where ruin and regeneration, alchemical knowledge, and female figures intertwine in works of extraordinary strength.
The Exhibition
A monumental tribute to alchemists: the new site-specific work by Anselm Kiefer, one of the most influential contemporary artists internationally, arrives at Palazzo Reale in Milan. This project, specially designed for Sala delle Cariatidi, will invite visitors to interact with works that reflect on history, painting, and female memory.Promoted by the Municipality of Milan-Culture and produced by Palazzo Reale and Marsilio Arte, with the contribution of Gagosian and Galleria Lia Rumma and with the support of Main Sponsors Unipol and Banca Ifis, the project is part of the cultural program of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Curated by art historian Gabriella Belli, it will be set up in Sala delle Cariatidi of Palazzo Reale in Milan from February, 7th to September, 27th, 2026.
A site-specific work for Sala delle Cariatidi
The Women Alchemists presents a cycle of fourty-two large canvases, designed specifically to dialogue with the dramatic beauty of Sala delle Cariatidi: a majestic setting marked by the wounds of the 1943 bombing, still capable today of evoking a past of splendor and ruin. After exceptionally welcoming Picasso Guernica’s masterpiece in 1953, Sala delle Cariatidi has hosted exhibitions and projects by exceptional artists over the years.
Photo by Paolo Pellegrin
© Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio
© Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio
© Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Nina Slavcheva
© Anselm Kiefer. Photo: Nina Slavcheva
The project’s link with the city of Milan is special, where Caterina Sforza lived during her youth, daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, scientist, leader and author of a rare manuscript containing more than 400 recipes for medicines, cosmetics and alchemical formulas. Kiefer voices her and several other female alchemists: if some of these female figures –such as Caterina Sforza, Isabella Cortese, Mary Judea – are known to the general public, other names, such as that of Marie Meudrac, Rebecca Vaughan, Mary Anne Atwood, Anne Marie Ziegler, are rather unknown. Through his material and strongly symbolic painting, the German artist makes visible what has been buried: faces and bodies that emerge from his canvases as apparitions, revealing a world of persecuted, hidden, but fundamental female intelligences for the birth of modern scientific thought. Since the beginning of Anselm Kiefer’s career in the early 1970s, a recurring theme in his work has been the depiction of the creative and redemptive powers of women in history.
Alchemy, art, and women: a new pantheon
The exhibition is not limited to a historical restoration project, but also creates a true female pantheon, where alchemists, thanks to the artist, emerge from the past with features and attributes attributable both to the scant biographical information that has come down to us and to the painter’s visionary intuition. Phantom figures, poised between myth, science, magic, and philosophy: their stories speak of discoveries and experiments, medical remedies, beauty cures. Scientists ante litteram, capable of expertly manipulating stills and ovens to create ingenious distillation processes, healthy recipes for the body and mind. Their stories also speak of exclusion, disguises, condemnations, and abjurations. Women with a formidable intuitive intelligence and rigor, who sought answers in nature, dedicating themselves to concrete, experimental knowledge before modern science. These women devoted themselves more to caring for the body and spirit, than to the abstract search for the “philosopher’s stone”.
A unique artistic and symbolic project
The canvases that make up The Women Alchemists can be considered inseparable and form a unique, profoundly symbolic work. It intertwines central themes in the artist’s work: myth, history, collective memory, identity, destruction and regeneration. Painting becomes an alchemical language, whose processes, such as electrolysis and fire, become narrative tools.
Each picture offers itself as an act of resurrection: a face that emerges, a story, a matter that transfigures itself. Kiefer, interpreting the alchemical motto Obscurum per obscurius, ignotum per ignotius (“the dark through the darkest, the unknown through the even more unknown”), invites the visitor to immerse himself in an emotionally engaging, almost initiatory path.
An exhibition-event for Milan
Conceived for Sala delle Cariatidi — a space already rich in historical significance — The Women Alchemists represents an exhibition event of great importance for Milan and for the international art scene, confirming Palazzo Reale’s desire to dialogue with contemporary art. The project also pays homage to Milan, the city of Leonardo and the scientific and cultural tradition, through the figure of Caterina Sforza, heir and witness of the Sforza era. The inauguration will coincide with the opening of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and the exhibition will continue until September 2026, intertwining with the city’s main events.
The catalogue, published by Marsilio Arte, is edited by Gabriella Belli and contains essays and contributions by Natacha Fabbri, Gabriele Guercio, and Lawrence Principe.
Plan your visit
Access to the Exhibition
Tickets for the exhibition can be purchased exclusively online, both for individual visitors and groups. If, during the day, unsold tickets are still available, it will be possible to purchase them at the physical ticket desk dedicated to the exhibition inside the Museo del Novecento in Milan, until capacity is reached.
Free tickets may be collected directly on site, subject to verification of eligibility.
Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am – 7:30 pm
Thursday: 10 am – 7:30 pm (last admission one hour before closing)
Monday: closed
Holiday Opening Hours
Sunday 5 April 2026 (Easter): 10 am – 7:30 pm
Monday 6 April 2026 (Easter Monday): 10 am – 7:30 pm
Tuesday 2 June 2026 (Republic Day): 10 am – 7:30 pm
Saturday 15 August 2026 (Ferragosto): 10 am – 7:30 pm
Visitor Alert
On Friday, February 6th, the exhibition Kiefer. The Women Alchemists will be closed all day.
TICKETS
€17.00 — Open Ticket
Includes free audio guide or QR-code; also available at the ticket office
(valid from three hours after purchase/booking).
€15.00 — Full Price Ticket
Includes free audio guide or QR-code.
€13.00 — Reduced Ticket
For groups (15–25 people), visitors aged 6–26, visitors over 65, Touring Club members, FAI members, holders of tickets linked to the initiative “Monday at the Museums,” military personnel, off-duty law enforcement, teachers, holders of the Feltrinelli LAEde card, employees and clients of Banca BPER, employees and clients of Banca IFIS and affiliated companies.
Includes free audio guide or QR-code.
€12.00 — Milano Museo Card Holders
€10.00 — Student Ticket
Maximum age: 25 years.
Includes free audio guide or QR-code.
€7.50 × 2 — Special 2×1 Reduced Ticket
For Unipol employees and clients.
€6.00 — Special Reduced Ticket
For primary and secondary school groups, FAI and TCI groups, registered journalists with a valid annual ODG card, City of Milan employees with badge (one accompanying guest pays €12), Civil Service volunteers operating within the City of Milan.
Includes free audio guide or QR-code.
Family Ticket
€10 per adult / €6 per child (ages 6–14)
For 1 or 2 adults + children.
Free Admission
For visitors with 100% disability and one accompanying person, children under 6, licensed tour guides, one group escort, two escorts for school groups, one escort and one guide for Touring Club and FAI groups, employees of the Soprintendenza, ICOM members, employees of the Palazzo Reale Exhibitions and Scientific Museums Department, members of the Safety Commission and Fire Brigade.
Includes free audio guide or QR-code.
Journalists
Journalists visiting the exhibition for professional purposes may access free of charge by collecting their ticket at the “reserved” desk, after requesting accreditation from the press office at least two days before the visit (indicating publication and date).
Otherwise, admission is €6.00 (special reduced rate) upon presenting a valid ODG card.
Disposable Earphones
€2.00 (1 euro per earphone)
Pre-sale Fees
€2.00
€1.00 for school groups
Groups and Reservations
The validity of online tickets, including Open Tickets, begins three hours after purchase/booking.
Open Tickets may also be purchased at the exhibition for €17.00, with no additional fees.
GUIDED TOURS
Curated by Ad Artem
The exhibition Kiefer. The Women Alchemists is accompanied by a comprehensive program of guided tours designed for organized groups.
The thematic guided tour, curated by Ad Artem, the exhibition’s official educational program, is based on dialogue and shared observation of the works, and aims to delve deeper into Anselm Kiefer’s work and the themes of alchemy, memory and transformation.
For more details, see the Educational section.
INFO AND RESERVATIONS
For groups requiring guidance or workshops:
Ad Artem
info@adartem.it
+39 02 6597728
(9 am – 1 pm| 2 pm – 4 pm, Mon–Fri)
www.adartem.it
For self-guided groups:
Vivaticket Call Center
+39 02 91446111
Mon–Fri 9 am – 6 pm
Saturday 9 am – 1 pm
Educational
Curated by Ad ArtemThe exhibition Kiefer. The Women Alchemists is accompanied by a comprehensive program of guided tours for organized groups of adults.
The thematic guided tour, curated by Ad Artem, the exhibition’s official educational program, is based on dialogue and shared observation of the works, and aims to delve deeper into Anselm Kiefer’s work and the themes of alchemy, memory and transformation.
Guided Tour ITA: € 120.00
Guided Visit ENG: € 140.00
Hedaphones: € 2.00
Info and reservations
For groups requiring guidance or workshops:
Ad Artem
info@adartem.it
+39 02 6597728
(9 am – 1 pm | 2 pm – 4 pm, Mon–Fri)
www.adartem.it
For self-guided groups:
Vivaticket Call Center
+39 02 91446111
Mon–Fri 9 am – 6 pm
Saturday 9 am – 1 pm
News and Events
Privat events
Press
Press OfficeItalian Press
Marsilio Arte | Giovanna Ambrosano: +39 338 4546387; g.ambrosano@
International Press
Giovanni Maria Sgrignuoli: +39 328 9686390; giovanni@gmspress.com
Comune di Milano – Cultura
Responsabile Comunicazione: Elena Conenna elenamaria.conenna@comune.
Ufficio Stampa: Silvia Egiziano silvia.egiziano@comune.milano.
Press kit >
Related products
You might also be interested in
