Discussions of art and aesthetics in twentieth-century Catholic theology often revolve around the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar.  In contrast, Karl Rahner’s vast writings are usually considered to lack a theological aesthetics.  However, in the past decade some theologians have started to re-examine that assumption.  My own modest hope for this paper is to further this discussion.  My starting point will be Gesa Elsbeth Thiessen’s observation that, for Rahner, ‘the idea of art being a source of theology. . . hinges on his anthropology, i.e. his view of the human being as a creature of transcendence always directed to the experience of mystery and transformed by grace’.  Again, this ‘experience of mystery’ does not occur in the abstract.  As Rahner writes near the end of his life, ‘true art always embodies a very definite, particular and historical instance of human transcendence’.  Thus my goal is to demonstrate that Rahner’s reflections on artistic expression are a logical development of his anthropology.  First, I will discuss Rahner’s notion of a graced humanity.  Next I will look at his theology of symbol and sacrament.  Finally, I will examine Rahner’s writings on language as well as the arts in general.