The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 7, 2024

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, West Berlin

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, West Berlin

1959
(Swiss, 1933–2014)
Image: 17.4 x 26.6 cm (6 7/8 x 10 1/2 in.); Paper: 27.9 x 35.3 cm (11 x 13 7/8 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

René Burri photographed the two Germanys after World War II because it was, he said, the place “where oppositions were exacerbated and beginning to clash.”

Description

One such opposition is revealed in his image of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, built in 1890 and bombed during world War II. The grayed-out, damaged church spire is glimpsed through the overhanging roof of a vast modern building under construction that dominates the foreground. West Germany’s recovery—its return to grandeur—proceeds, undaunted by a symbol of its former defeat.
  • 1957–64
    Rene Burri (the artist) [1933-2014], given to Charles Harbutt [1935-2015], New York, NY
    1964-2015
    Charles Harbutt [1935-2015], New York, NY
    2015–21
    Joan Liftin, by descent, New York, NY
    September 13, 2021-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, West Berlin|url=false|author=René Burri|year=1959|access-date=07 November 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.150