In response to the 50th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall on August 13, the Wende Museum presented “Across the Wall” at the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk. The exhibition displays high-quality reproductions of sixteen portrait paintings from the former Soviet Union in the museum’s collection.

The Berlin Wall divided Europe into East and West and pitted the United States against the Soviet Union. But behind the scenes, and beyond politics, both countries contained diverse peoples with myriad human desires and dreams.

Mirroring the movement of street art into museums, Wende artworks are joining the urban landscape, confronting incidental passers-by with an unfamiliar world and bringing former Cold War adversaries face to face.

Reproductions by Peter Figen Photography