Berlin Wall's famous Kiss painting erased in clean-up
One of the most famous paintings on the Berlin Wall, which depicted the kiss between East German leader Erich Honecker and his Soviet counterpart Leonid Brezhnev - has been erased in part of a clean-up of the surviving sections of the wall.
Dmitri Vrubel , the artist, has been told by Berlin authorities: "You can always paint a new one."
The Kiss was the star attraction of the East Side Gallery, a stretch of avant-garde murals painted on one of the last remaining stretches of the wall that divided the city for 28 years.
But weather, pollution and vandalism have conspired to eat away at the cheap paint used by the artists and many paintings will be destroyed as part of a restoration project.
"These barbarians! My painting has been destroyed," said Mr Vrubel, a Moscow-based artist, staring at grey concrete where his picture once was.
Authorities claimed the The Kiss was beyond salvation.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
Dmitri Vrubel , the artist, has been told by Berlin authorities: "You can always paint a new one."
The Kiss was the star attraction of the East Side Gallery, a stretch of avant-garde murals painted on one of the last remaining stretches of the wall that divided the city for 28 years.
But weather, pollution and vandalism have conspired to eat away at the cheap paint used by the artists and many paintings will be destroyed as part of a restoration project.
"These barbarians! My painting has been destroyed," said Mr Vrubel, a Moscow-based artist, staring at grey concrete where his picture once was.
Authorities claimed the The Kiss was beyond salvation.