Berlin Wall 30: Art and the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall divided the city for nearly 30 years, but it inspired some iconic artwork. Curator Paris Agar takes us through the East Side Gallery in Berlin, exploring its art work and what the pieces meant to Berliners then and now.

Art and the Berlin Wall

I’m here at the East Side Gallery in Berlin, the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall at 1.3Km in length, that’s just under a mile long. This open-air gallery runs along the river Spree and is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. It opened in 1990 just after the fall of the wall, and features over 100 paintings by more than 100 artists from 21 different countries.

The murals reflect on this pivotal moment in world history. ‘My god, help me to survive this deadly love’ is one the most famous. Copied from a photograph it captures socialist leaders Erich Honecker and Leonid Brezhnev in a loving embrace. Another mural shows a Trabant, a car synonymous with East Germany, breaking through the wall.

This mural was created by East German artist Jürgen Grosse, known as Indiano. In 2009 it was repainted as part of a project to conserve East Side Gallery artworks that had been vandalised or were in a state of disrepair. ‘Save our earth’ has particular poignancy today in relation to climate change. But in 1990 it was one of hundreds of motivational messages which Indiano emblazoned on the wall after it fell in 1989. These messages were designed for a global audience and acted as a call to action, a way forward for the dawn of a new era in Berlin.

I’m on Leuschnerdamm a street in Kreuzberg district of Berlin. During the 1980s, this was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, a hub for immigrants, students, and artists. The Berlin Wall ran along this stretch of road here and became a canvas for artists living nearby. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, artist Indiano painted 223 individual wall sections here in just 7 months. One of those sections, inscribed with the message ‘Change your life’, was from this very spot and can now be seen outside IWM London.

Related content

Cold War

Berlin Wall 30: What Was The Berlin Wall?

Patrolled by guards and dogs, illuminated by floodlights and fortified by barbed wire and watchtowers, the Wall divided Berlin for 28 years.

Thierry Noir and Stik stand in front of their work 'Wall'

Cold War

'We had to bring the Wall'

In 1980s Berlin, street art painted on the Berlin Wall was a form of artistic resistance and political commentary.

French artist Thierry Noir lived in a squat near the Berlin Wall and began painting on it in 1984. To mark the 30th anniversary of its fall, he has created a new work with his friend and fellow street artist STIK.

The opening of the Berlin Wall. The West German flag flies over the Brandenburg Gate, with a graffiti covered section of the Berlin Wall in the foreground in early 1990. The marks on the wall left by hundreds of Berliners chipping away at the concrete are clearly visible. By the end of 1990, much of the Wall had been demolished.

Cold War

8 Photos Of The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

On 9 November 1989, government spokesman Gunter Schabowski announced at a press conference that every citizen of East Germany would be allowed to travel to the West, effective immediately. Discover 8 photos from IWM's collection illustrating the fall of the Berlin Wall.

A man chips away at a part of the Berlin Wall. Grafffiti above him reads 'Build Doors Not Walls.' Still from the NATO film collection.

Cold War

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall on Film

The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989. By the end of 1990, much of the Wall had been demolished.

Explore our timeline of key events in the Berlin Wall’s history using IWM’s film collection.

Brian Wehner awaits his turn to observe East Berlin from a viewing platform in the French sector of West Berlin circa 1963. A small sign on the platform warns that unauthorised personnel are forbidden from proceeding any further.

Cold War

Voices of the Wall

The Berlin Wall played a role in millions of lives - find out more about how five people who were there remember it.

Cold War

The Berlin Wall

Explore the story of the Berlin Wall, one of the most iconic and defining moments of the 20th century.