Encounters between East and West German members of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin

Two Academies of Arts existed in the same divided city, against the backdrop of the opposing political systems of the second half of the 20th century. And yet, they both shared and invoked the positive traditions of their common origin in the Prussian Academy of Arts. Both Academies saw themselves not foremost as teaching institutions, but rather as artists’ societies, with their international members coming from the fields of the visual arts, music, literature and the performing arts. And both operated out of premises expressly built for their respective institution, from where they put on exhibitions and events that resonated far beyond the city.

Based on the documents, letters and reports that have been preserved (and published), it is clear that the Cold War between the political systems did not succeed in erecting another wall between the two Academies, and that the protagonists on either side managed to maintain a thin thread of dialogue. Joint support was mobilised for the reconstruction of the Quadriga on the Brandenburg Gate, and invitations were extended in both directions to openings and birthday celebrations. Efforts were made to furnish collaborative exhibitions and procure artists’ estates. There were failures, there were grievances and attempts to ignore each other, and these were inevitably followed by reconciliation.

From the very beginning, it was the artists elected as members of the respective Academies who were committed to furthering this exchange. Particularly worth mentioning is their joint political engagement during the German peace movement, which gave way to two events attended by a large group of writers from both institutions: the “Berlin Encounter” on 13/14 December 1981 at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (East) and the “2nd Berlin Encounter” on 22 April 1983 at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (West).

By contrast, the visit that took place during the spring assembly of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (West) on 23 April 1988, when 46 members and ten staff visited 29 members, their guests and eleven staff at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (East), was like a company outing. The surviving copy of a report by the host gives us an impression of the event: A chartered Berolina sightseeing bus transported the visitors across the border checkpoint at Invalidenstraße. From there, they were driven through East Berlin to what was then called Platz der Akademie and to the Schauspielhaus, the theatre built by Schinkel, which had undergone major restorations between 1976 and 1984. The visit was likely a special wish expressed by the 23 members of the Architecture Section, who made up the largest group of artists. They were also given a tour of the old, newly restored building of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (East) at Robert-Koch-Platz 7 (today’s Kaiserin-Friedrich-Haus).

The two-and-a-half hour talks that took place around casually set tables over coffee and “Margon” mineral water were kicked off by the presidents Manfred Wekwerth (East) and Giselher Klebe (West). According to the report, conversation revolved around technical questions, the new building for the Archives, the Academy’s next anniversary in 1996, and “questions relating to the work of the artists themselves”. The architects talked with Ule Lammert, Bruno Flierl and others who had been invited to take part in the discussions, as the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (East) did not have its own architecture section, and touched upon topics such as “Bauhaus and subsequent developments in architecture”. Colleagues from the field of theatre shared anecdotes with each other. Catalogues and invitations were exchanged. The report also contains an interesting note that “the political stances of the members covered every nuance”.

In his memoirs, Ule Lammert writes of the encounter: “The first meeting took place in the tight quarters of Robert-Koch-Platz, and was very cordial and lively. We architects sat at a round table between the other disciplines, shared stories and spoke over coffee and cake about everything colleagues talk about when they meet. Our time together, we all felt, passed far too quickly; I enjoyed it, as apparently did the West Germans, who said that conversation is rarely as candid when they meet amongst themselves. Today, I would say that we were no competition for them.”

One year later, on 28 April 1989, the members of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (East) and senior staff (54 persons) were invited to West Berlin for a reciprocal visit to the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (West) on Hanseatenweg. It would be the last official meeting before the fall of the Berlin Wall. On that day, no one could have imagined that just four years later they would meet again in an Akademie der Künste reunited after a series of painful disputes.

Carolin Schönemann