Berlin Wall Trabant

This painting by Birgit Kinder is on a segment of the Berlin Wall that was on the east bank of the Spree River that separated portions of East and West Berlin. Because this section of the wall was on the opposite shore of the river, it was not covered by graffiti as was the case with the rest of the west face of the Wall (accessible to West Berliners). After the reunification of East and West Germany, this segment of the wall was made into a public gallery and various artists were invited to add their work to the wall's unadorned segments. This particular image commemorates not only the breaking of the wall in November 1989, but the ubiquitous Trabant--the car driven by most East Germans in 1989.