The remaining 1,300 metres of the Berlin Wall is to be given a new look this summer, with French artist Thierry Noir in charge of giving this historical monument it’s make over.  Thierry Noir, who risked his life in 1984 to paint the first major pieces of art on the barrier, will be joined by the artists who originally turned the wall into a piece of iconic art work in 1989, which would later be known as the ‘The East Side gallery’, a mismatch of colourful, and at times provocative, paintings by artists from 21 different countries.

Since then, what remains of The East Side Gallery is slightly less impressive, with crumbling concrete slabs destroyed by  neglect, pollution and tourists looking for souvenirs – which is why artistic pioneer Thierry wants to restore it to its former glory, not only for aesthetic reasons but to leave a reminder to future generations of what the wall signifies:

“We need to restore it to protect it for future generations. The wall will never be a thing of beauty, and nor should it. Too many people died because of it. It is there to remind a future generation of what happened.”

Gerard Lahr, an illustrator was the first artist to start work last week, and around 60 others will work through to November for the official opening. However, not all the artists who originally painted the wall are so happy to be asked to do so again. Russian artist Dmitri Vrubel, who painted the famous image of the East German leader Erich Honecker kissing his Soviet counterpart, Leonid Brezhnev has insisted, “I have no problem with the East Side Gallery being renovated, but I can’t simply come back and paint the same thing over again, it would be a completely new picture.”

The Berlin Wall was built in1961 as a ‘protective barrier against fascism’ and was destroyed in the weeks following the surrender of East Germany by euphoric members of the public.

We can’t wait to see the Berlin Wall transformed!