By — Victoria Fleischer Victoria Fleischer Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/art-berlin-wall-25-years-later Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Photo gallery: Berlin Wall paintings survive as symbols of hope 25 years later Arts Nov 7, 2014 6:05 PM EDT Twenty five years ago Sunday, thousands of Berliners jumped on top of the Berlin Wall as a divisive era came to an end. Five years earlier, Kiddy Citny of West Berlin began to paint the wall with two of his friends, Theirry Noir and Christophe Bouchet. “The wall in the eighties was the most concrete manifestation … of the so called ‘cold-war’ East-West war games,” Citney told Art Beat in an email. “I wanted to make the grey, ugly West-side wall colorful and start painting to isolate East Berlin — die hauptstadt der DDR — with art.” Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Citny describes the experience of painting the wall as a game of cat and mouse, but he says he was never in any real danger. All these years later, his wall art has traveled all over the world, in private collections, in Paris and New York, in front of the U.N. Headquarters. “I feel honored that my paintings with the kings and hearts are strewn all over the world. It’s wonderful to be able to witness it — my wall art as a monument,” said Citny. “It’s fantastic to be part of the falling of the wall. After the unification my images were interpreted as symbols of hope and freedom.” His work is also exhibited in Berlin at Blaue Stunde Galerie in Prenzlauer Berg in honor of the anniversary. The exhibition runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 30. Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny By — Victoria Fleischer Victoria Fleischer @vlfleischer
Twenty five years ago Sunday, thousands of Berliners jumped on top of the Berlin Wall as a divisive era came to an end. Five years earlier, Kiddy Citny of West Berlin began to paint the wall with two of his friends, Theirry Noir and Christophe Bouchet. “The wall in the eighties was the most concrete manifestation … of the so called ‘cold-war’ East-West war games,” Citney told Art Beat in an email. “I wanted to make the grey, ugly West-side wall colorful and start painting to isolate East Berlin — die hauptstadt der DDR — with art.” Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Citny describes the experience of painting the wall as a game of cat and mouse, but he says he was never in any real danger. All these years later, his wall art has traveled all over the world, in private collections, in Paris and New York, in front of the U.N. Headquarters. “I feel honored that my paintings with the kings and hearts are strewn all over the world. It’s wonderful to be able to witness it — my wall art as a monument,” said Citny. “It’s fantastic to be part of the falling of the wall. After the unification my images were interpreted as symbols of hope and freedom.” His work is also exhibited in Berlin at Blaue Stunde Galerie in Prenzlauer Berg in honor of the anniversary. The exhibition runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 30. Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny Photo courtesy Kiddy Citny