Socialist art – art in East Berlin: message in a bottle from another world

When you lift your head, your gaze finds peace. Above the crowd of cars and pedestrians on Alexanderplatz, a special form of art emerges. Motifs from the socialist era still characterize the street scene in the eastern part of Berlin – the former capital of the GDR. The noise and hustle and bustle below contrast with the figures pictured above. They appear harmonious, almost contemplative on the walls of the buildings. They exude self-confidence and a belief in the future.

Not far from Alexanderplatz S-Bahn station, the seven meter high and 127 meter long mosaic “Our Life” (1964) adorns all four sides of the teacher’s house – originally a cultural center for educators that was built from 1961 to 1964. In the epic composition, motifs merge into one another: a couple in love passes the time in a flower meadow, the workers in heavy industry go about their jobs without complaining, and in a classroom, hard-working students explore the world with the help of microscopes and telescopes. A scientist holds a test tube containing a reddish liquid – a new preparation that was obviously developed to serve humanity. Walter Womacka (1925–2010), one of the most important representatives of socialist realism in the GDR, created a panorama of a model socialist society from many scenes and around 800,000 mosaic tiles. “Our Life” is one of the best examples of monumental art in the GDR.

Works in the style of this mosaic were widespread in the 60s and 70s – a time in which artists in the GDR found particularly favorable conditions. Her works decorated streets and squares everywhere. Stained glass, friezes, bronze reliefs – traditional syntheses of art and architecture that gained new meaning in the new social context. Above all, a large number of colorful, differently patterned wall mosaics come from this period. The artists often laid them with tiles from the famous Meissen porcelain factory. By conveying the correct socialist values, the works in the GDR also had an educational function. Of course, it was also about securing support for the regime from the population. Alexanderplatz, as one of the most important transport hubs in the Republic, was particularly important in this regard. Because thousands of citizens passed through here every day, the government attached particular importance to the design of the buildings.

Two other important examples of GDR monumental art can be seen nearby: Womacka’s 24 by 4.50 meter copper relief “Man overcomes time and space” (1971), in which a cosmonaut, accompanied by two other heroes of the workers’ state, in a promising socialist future collapses. There is also a frieze by the painter Willi Neubert (1920–2011), which decorates the former press café, once a popular place for journalists in the GDR.

Neglect, ignorance and ideological aversion have significantly reduced the inventory of GDR art in public spaces since 1990. Many important works have been lost. But in recent years the understanding of the importance of this art seems to be growing. Neubert’s 76 meter long and 3.50 meter high frieze is part of this trend. Since 1992, the work entitled “The Press as Organizer” (1973) has been hidden behind advertising. It was only at the end of 2021 that it was made visible again after extensive restoration and thus brought back from oblivion. Passers-by can now once again look at the black and white as well as red, orange and blue motifs about the role of the press in socialism: microphones, cameras, diligent doodling on a notepad, attentive reading of the newspaper. Numerous scenes show journalists documenting the achievements of athletes and scientists.

If you continue walking from Alexanderplatz through the city center towards Potsdamer Platz, some of the GDR’s best monumental works emerge. A special art experience awaits anyone who takes the time to go to the former GDR State Council building – today the European School of Management and Technology is housed here – and look at the stained glass windows by Walter Womacka in the stairwell. The sunlight from outside makes the motifs shine.

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Nearby at the Jungfernbrücke, a huge mural adorns a facade over the Spree Canal. Here too, Womacka was the creator. The title is “Man, the measure of all things” (1968), inspired by the Greek philosopher Protagoras. And on the corner between Leipziger Strasse and Wilhelmstrasse, school classes and tourist groups are captivated by Max Lingner’s (1888–1959) “Building the Republic” (1952). The mural, painted on Meissen porcelain tiles, decorates a colonnade along the building in which the GDR was proclaimed in 1949 – today the Federal Ministry of Finance is located here.

The 24 meter long and three meter high painting dates from a decade or two before this form of mosaic art really became popular. It is characterized, among other things, by the fact that the suits, dresses, shoes, hats and hairstyles of the characters depicted follow the fashion of the 1950s. Farm girls, bricklayers, architects, tractor drivers and engineers can be seen here. The focus of the work of art is the connection between representatives of different social classes and professions. Academics, workers and officials form an inseparable unit. With smiles and enthusiasm, everyone contributes their skills for the benefit of society. The community includes everyone. The message flows towards the viewer like a message in a bottle from a lost world.