Berlin Wall 1989

Thierry Noir used art as a political act when he painted the Berlin Wall in the 1980s. After moving from France to West Berlin, he joined the youth and artist culture in the city. He could see the wall from his apartment, and so he decided to reclaim the wall for the people by painting on it. Because this was a very dangerous act of political subversion, Noir made simple designs that could be completed more quickly. This portion of the wall was donated by the German Consulate to the Battery Park City Authority in 2004.