The Longest Open-Air Gallery in the World
Index
The East Side Gallery extends along more than 1.3 kilometers between Ostbahnof and Oberbaum Bridge, and is one of the city’s most famous tourist attractions. More than 118 artists from 21 countries worked on the world’s longest open-air gallery. Their paintings help keep the historical site alive and make its history accessible to visitors from all over the world. The East Side Gallery stands both as a symbol of joy over the end of Germany’s division and as a historical reminder of the inhumanity of the GDR border regime. Learn more about how the East Side Gallery was created, which artists participated in the project, and how the gallery has changed since its opening in 1990.
Just a few days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, artists began painting on the eastern side of the wall. However, the first images at Potsdamer Platz were painted over by GDR border guards. Artists David Monty from Schöneberg and Heike Stephan from Prenzlauer Berg then came up with the idea of turning the wall into the “world's largest gallery” and applied for permission. After discussions with the GDR Ministry of National Defense, the section of the Wall on Mühlenstraße was agreed upon. With the approval of the GDR Council of Ministers, the East Side Gallery project was founded and artists from all over the world were invited to participate.
David Monty's assistant Christine MacLean coordinated the project. From March 1990 onwards, she looked after the participants, acquired sponsorship funds, and worked with the event and advertising agency wuva to develop advertising measures. The East Side Gallery was opened on September 28, 1990.
With their individual messages, the artists created a document of contemporary history. Over a hundred paintings express joy at the fall of the Wall, the end of the Cold War, and hopes for peace, freedom, and democracy. At the same time, many works address concerns about an uncertain future.
Through their art, the participants preserved the Wall from demolition and further decay. In November 1991, the East Side Gallery was added to the list of monuments of the State of Berlin. As one of the last remaining pieces of the Wall at its original location, it now conveys the 28-year division of Berlin.
Mühlenstraße, 1987, photo: Gerd Danigel, ddr-fotograf.de, CCA-S A 4.0 International
Comments on Creating the East Side Gallery
The artists Jim Avignon, Andreas Kämper and Kiddy Citny, along with Christine MacLean, co-organizer of the East Side Gallery, share memories of painting the Wall in 1990. In conversation with Lutz Henke (Visit Berlin), 30 years after the East Side Gallery was dedicated, they spoke about the conditions under which the art project took place and their different personal relationships with the Berlin Wall. They also discuss how the site should be dealt with in the future.
The panel discussion took place as part of the events marking the 30th anniversary of the East Side Gallery.
Panel discussion with contemporary witnesses on the 30th anniversary of the opening of the East Side Gallery © Berlin Wall Foundation, Photo: Ladan Razaeian
The stories behind the artworks
In interviews with the Berlin Wall Foundation, many artists talk about their memories of the East Side Gallery. They describe how they came to be involved with the East Side Gallery and the significance of their paintings. They also talk about their experiences with the GDR, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the period that followed.
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East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/ Andreas Kämper/ RHG_FoAnkae
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Carsten Jost paints his mural on the wall, 1990 © Berlin Wall Foundation, photo: Ulrike Steglich
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East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/ Andreas Kämper/ RHG_FoAnkae
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East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/ Andreas Kämper/ RHG_FoAnkae
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Birgit Kinder paints her mural on the wall, 1990 © Berlin Wall Foundation, photo: Birgit Kinder
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East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/ Andreas Kämper/ RHG_FoAnkae
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East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/ Andreas Kämper/ RHG_FoAnkae
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East Side Gallery 1990, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/ Andreas Kämper/ RHG_FoAnkae
The East Side Gallery artwork looked a lot different in 1990 than it does today. Due to graffiti and weather-damage, by the 1990s it had already become necessary for artists to partially or completely repaint the damaged areas of their pictures. Extensive restoration work was carried out in 2008/2009 to ensure the long-term preservation of the artwork. In order to repair the underlying masonry, it was necessary to destroy the paintings. Afterwards, many of the artists repainted their pictures: some created replicas true to the original, others made changes to their original work. A small group refused to repaint their pictures. Their wall segments have remained unpainted ever since.
A total of four artworks were relocated from their original location to the green space. The gaps in the gallery were necessary to create access roads to new houses and a boat landing stage for the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Hans-Peter Dürhager und Ralf Jesse
"Der müde Tod" (Tired Death)
During renovation work in 2008/2009, the artists changed the painting’s color scheme.
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Hans-Peter Dürhager, Ralf Jesse, „Der müde Tod“(Tired Death), 1990, Berlin Wall Foundation postcard
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Hans-Peter Dürhager, Ralf Jesse, mural „Der müde Tod“(Tired Death), 2009, Berlin Wall Foundation
Perspectives on the Transformation of the Images
At the opening of the special exhibition “Between Original and Copy: Change and Debates on the East Side Gallery” on September 28, 2025, artists Birgit Kinder (“Test the Rest”), Jolly Kunjappu (“Dancing to Freedom”), Andy Weiss (“Geist-Reise”) and Gábor Simon (“Space-Magik”) recalled their artistic work on the Wall 35 years ago. Moderated by Anna von Arnim-Rosenthal, director of the East Side Gallery, they discussed the question of the East Side Gallery's identity as a place of remembrance and art, as a monument, graffiti attraction, and tourist hotspot.
Gábor Simon, Jolly Kunjappu, Birgit Kinder, and Andy Weiss in conversation, 35th anniversary of the East Side Gallery, 2025 © Berlin Wall Foundation, photo: Dong-Ha Choe
Hands
The Only Preserved Original at the East Side Gallery
The painting “Hands” by Margaret Hunter and Peter Russell impressively conveys the history of the East Side Gallery: As the only original from 1990, it shows how the paintings originally looked. “Hands” was the only work that was not repainted during the major renovations that took place in 2000 and 2009. Instead, various conservation measures have been applied to the work since 1990.
As part of the 30 year anniversary of the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Foundation had the painting conserved for the future. On September 13, 2020, Margaret Hunter and Foundation Director Axel Klausmeier spoke about the protection and restoration of the monument. Guided tours were held afterwards, during which participants discussed the different artwork.
Listen to a podcast with the artist to get an impression of the day and learn more about how “Hands!” was first made and how it has changed.
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Margaret Hunter conserving her painting titled “Hands” in August 2020 © Berlin Wall Foundation
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Margaret Hunter and the director of the foundation Prof. Dr. Axel Klausmeier in front of the East Side Gallery, 2020 © Berlin Wall Foundation
In the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall, urban planning concepts incorporated the Spree area around the Oberbaum Bridge. The construction projects directly on the waterfront were often not in harmony with the preservation of the East Side Gallery, which is a listed historical monument. Openings were created in the wall for the developments, which triggered major protests and demonstrations, especially in 2013. Most recently, in March 2018, parts of the painted wall were removed and erected at another location in the immediate vicinity.
In November 2018, the land parcels “Park an der Spree” and “East Side Park,” including elements of the former Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery), were transferred by the State of Berlin to the Berlin Wall Foundation. The foundation is responsible for maintaining and preserving the memorial and providing educational, outreach, and informational services on the history of the Berlin Wall and the East Side Gallery.
In January 2025, the gatehouse in the former border strip at the East Side Gallery, which had been renovated in accordance with monument preservation guidelines, was opened as a visitor information center and meeting point for guided tours. The building, which has been a listed monument since 2020, was extensively renovated in 2023 and 2024 by the Berlin Wall Foundation in collaboration with the Wüstenrot Foundation. Originally part of a warehouse belonging to the grain industry combine on Mühlenstraße, it was integrated into the border fortifications in 1977 and used by GDR border guards and the People's Police. After 1990, it served as a souvenir shop for many years.
