The return of the murals
On a recent morning, Daniel Ziblatt paused to gaze at the two bold frescoes that adorn the walls of Adolphus Busch Hall. The Harvard professor of government smiled, grateful he comes to work in a place filled with such stunning, albeit — in the case of the murals — “somewhat disturbing” creations. “I am in awe every time I come through,” said Ziblatt. He is one of the lucky few with an office in what was once the location of the Busch-Reisinger Museum and Harvard’s extensive collection of art from the German-speaking countries of Europe. The building’s main hall still contains a number of artistic treasures, including the two murals, created in the 1930s amid a political firestorm, and newly restored as part of a multiphase revitalization of the ornate space by the Harvard Art Museums. Named for the philanthropist and brewing mogul Adolphus Busch, who helped to fund its construction, the building...