The Women of the Revolution

This is one of the works of the German artist Anselm Kiefer - his work never fails to astound me!  Recently a giant water tank at what had been the Sprague capacitor factory was converted to a gallery space, and now there are three exhibits in the gallery all by Kiefer.  This piece is called "The Women of the Revolution" (Les Femmes de la Revolution), comprised of more than twenty lead beds with photographs and wall text.  This is a very powerful thing to see.  I mean, who would even think of lead sheeting as the bedclothes for a bed!  It is brilliant and powerful and haunting. This piece takes its inspiration from Jules Michelet’s 1854 study, which chronicles the lives of specific women, who, in their uncompromising willingness to pursue democratic values, played an important role in the French Revolution.