Birgit Kinder’s Trabi Wall Art in 1990 and 1995

Part of our Photo Gallery: The East Side Gallery in Berlin

Despite, or maybe because of its iconic status, Birgit Kinder’s popular “A Trabi goes through the Wall” painting on the East Side Gallery (ESG) has suffered the indignities of tagging, poor graffiti, and plain old destruction by thoughtless Neanderthals who fail to appreciate the significance of this historic Berlin landmark. Although her ESG artwork is not alone in suffering at the hands of morons, Kinder has been one of the most dogged artists in repairing damage or even repainting her section of the Wall from scratch.

The East Side Gallery in Berlin > East Side Gallery Timeline > Photo Gallery: The East Side Gallery

Below are two photos from Kinder’s own website that show (1) her completed work in 1990 and (2) the extent of the damage to it just five years later. These enhanced photo versions show the artist and her own Trabi car in 1990, and the extent of the damage to her work in 1995, before she and other artists were allowed to restore their own work.

East Side Gallery • Trabi Photo 1

1. The East Side Gallery in 1990. This photo of Birgit Kinder standing in front of her freshly painted Trabi artwork at the East Side Gallery also shows her own Trabi, used as a model for her Wall painting. Notice the words “Test the best” above the Trabi art. Kinder changed the text to “Test the rest” in her later restorations. PHOTO: Birgit Kinder

East Side Gallery • Trabi Photo 2

2. The East Side Gallery in 1995. Only five years after she created it, Birgit Kinder’s Trabi painting is almost indecipherable, marred by idiots who have no appreciation of, or respect for this historic landmark. At the time, Gallery artists were not permitted to repaint their works, even at their own expense. In 1996, Kinder was able to repaint her Trabi section of the East Side Gallery. But that would not be the last time she had to do so. PHOTO: Birgit Kinder

To see more recent photos of Kinder’s Trabi art at the East Side Gallery, see:
Photo Gallery: The East Side Gallery

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Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Photo Gallery: The East Side Gallery – Return to our Photo Gallery of the East Side Gallery
• The East Side Gallery in Berlin – About the historic Wall gallery and its history
• East Side Gallery Timeline – Part 2 of the Berlin Wall Timeline
• Berlin Wall Timeline (1945-1989)
• Book Review: The Berlin Wall Today – GW Expat Blog
• Berlin Airlift – Die Luftbrücke 1948-1949
• Berlin – City Guide – Sightseeing and history in Berlin
• The Reichstag in Berlin has a fascinating history and its dome is now Berlin’s top tourist attraction.
• Our Living in Germany page for expats features resources for those now living or planning to live in the German-speaking world.