The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 5, 2023

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, West Berlin

1959

René Burri

(Swiss, 1933–2014)

Gelatin silver print

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.)

Gift of Joan Liftin 2021.150

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

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.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Written in black marker on recto: "Rene Burri (signed)"

Inscription

Written in pencil on verso: "For Charles/Rene Burri"

Provenance
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
Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.150