Page opening 4 from "The Heavenly Palaces: Merkabah" 1990

Editor: Here we have Anselm Kiefer's "Page opening 4 from 'The Heavenly Palaces: Merkabah'," a large-scale work housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels…stark. What do you see in this piece, beyond the obvious structural decay? Curator: Decay is only a surface reading, isn't it? It's a ruin, yes, but also a foundation. Kiefer grapples with history, specifically German history, using these brutal images. Do you feel the weight of the past pressing down, almost physically? Editor: Absolutely, the composition and the use of what looks like heavy, damaged brick certainly add to that feeling. I hadn't considered the historical weight. Curator: Imagine this space not as abandoned, but as pregnant with potential, a site for rebirth. The Merkabah refers to a mystical chariot – a vehicle for transcendence. Perhaps Kiefer offers us a way to elevate ourselves beyond the ruins. Isn’t that hopeful, in a strange way?