Beyond the Wall: A Title by Taschen
In 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down after the infamous words of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan urged then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall”, which had divided West and East Germany for 40 years following World War II. In that time, the wall separated lovers, friends, families, co-workers and compatriots, which drove a multitude of artwork derived from life in East Germany during those times.
Now for the first time, over 2500 items taken from a full spectrum of art, archives and artefacts from socialist East Germany, have been compiled to create the title Beyond the Wall: Art and artifacts from the GDR.
Each piece included in the encyclopaedic volume exudes the time in which it was created under the oppressive rule of the Russian sickle and hammer, from official symbols and dissident expressions, the spectacular and the routine, the mass-produced and the handmade, to the funny and tragic.
The title, published by Taschen, also includes texts from scholars and specialists across Europe, Canada and the United States, speaking on the secret police to sexuality, to moments of mental-mapping.
Beyond the Wall: Art and artifacts from the GDR is available for purchase at Taschen stores and online at www.taschen.com
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