Open-air gallery

The East Side Gallery came into being when a remaining portion of the Berlin Wall was decorated with works of art following the fall of the Wall in 1989. It has since become a symbol of German reunification. Berlin's Oberbaum Bridge can also be be seen in this image.

The Berlin Wall split the city from 1961 to 1989.

The East Side Gallery has been restored several times over the past two decades. As the world's largest open-air gallery, the over 100 works of art are quickly damaged by the elements - and by graffiti.

Ines Bayer, "Es gilt, viele Mauern abzubauen" (It's Possible to Break Down Many Walls) – prior to restoration.

Old paint was removed from the Wall using high pressure.

Freed of the old, crumbling paint, the Wall looked completely different. The original artists were then invited to return to Berlin and recreate their paintings.

Guenther Schaefer at work on his "Vaterland" (Fatherland) piece.

Mary Mackey, "Tolerance."

Artist Thierry Noir working on an untitled painting.

Rosemarie Schinzler, "Alles offen" (Everything open).

Dimirij Vrubel, "Mein Gott, hilf mir ... " (My God, help me...).

Andrej Smolak, untitled.

Gerhard Lahn, "Berlyn."

Birgit Kinder, "Test the Rest."

Dimitrij Vrubel, "Danke, Andrej Sacharow" (Thank you, Andrej Sacharow).

Gabor Gerhes, untitled.

Ursala Wuensch, "Frieden für alles" (Peace for Everything).

The art collective Gruppe Stellvertretende Durstende, "Farbe Uebertrag" (Color Transfer).

Carmen Leidner, "Niemandsland" (No Man's Land).

Narendra Kumar Jain, "Sieben Stufen der Erleuchtung" (Seven Steps of Enlightenment) – not quite finished, but like all paintings that are exposed to wind, weather, and vandalism, it's not meant to last for eternity.

Photos: Steffen Marquardt

Editor: Kate Bowen