The Sculpture of Love and Anguish
Item
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Title
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The Sculpture of Love and Anguish
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Description
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The sculpture titled “The Sculpture of Love and Anguish” is part of the Miami Beach Holocaust memorial. The 42 foot high bronze hand was created by Kenneth Treister, who dedicates the memorial to the 6 million people who lost their lives in the holocaust. It took Treister five years to finish the sculpture. Giant blocks of pink-hued Jerusalem stone imported from Israel were used for the foundation and the sculpture was cast in Mexico City. Treister intended to create the sculpture as part of “a series of outdoor spaces in which the visitor is led through a procession of visual, historical, and emotional experiences with the hope that the totality of the visit will express, in some small way, the reality of the Holocaust.” The ultimate purpose of this memorial is to remember the tragic events of the holocaust and the individual lives that were taken, as well as the rich culture that was destroyed. The sculpture portrays an extended arm reaching towards the sky with hundreds of naked bodies helping others hold on, while struggling to climb up the arm and make it to the top. The sculpture represents a final act of love by family members, who have suffered immensely due to the atrocities of the holocaust. Even after they have been dehumanized the victims continue to show love for their family members, as their weak and fragile bodies struggle to hold on to the arm reaching towards heaven.
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Subject
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Holocaust Memorial
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Creator
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Kenneth Treister
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Source
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Holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org
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Date
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Commissioned in 1985
