Biographie of Thierry Noir, The Berlin Wall Painter Retrospective 1984-2007

Thierry Noir retrospective 1984 - 2008.

Thierry Noir, the man to who we owe the longest concrete painting in the world. His paintings, with their bright colours and their melancholy poetry, represent nowadays the art of the Berlin wall. His wall works survived longer than all the others did after the fall of the wall in 1989.

Thierry Noir was born in 1958 in Lyon, France. He came to Berlin in January of 1982 with two small suitcases, attracted by the music of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who lived in West Berlin at this time. From April 1984, Thierry Noir and Christophe Bouchet started to paint the Berlin wall.

As the years went by, the paintings took on phenomenal proportions, which were rapidly recognized by the international arts community. The object was not to embellish the wall but to demystify it.

The paintings of Thierry Noir became a symbol of new found freedom after the reunification of Germany and the end of the cold war.

1984

. Painting of the Berlin Wall at Bethaniendamm near Mariannenplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg with Christophe Bouchet.

1985

. Painting of the publicity board for the restaurant Foffi's Estatorio, Fasanenstrasse, Berlin.

. Painting of the Berlin Wall at Bethaniendamm and at Potsdamerplatz in Berlin-Tiergarten, with Christophe Bouchet.

. Painted washrooms in the Café Mitropa, Goltzstrasse, Berlin.

. Painting of the Berlin Wall at the Waldemarstrasse in Berlin-Kreuzberg, with Kiddy Citny.

. Maxi Single: Pas Attendre/Que Pa with Kiddy Citny and the band Sprung Aus Dem Wolken. Big tour through Finland, France and Holland.

. Painted decoration with Bouchet for the renovation of the Kudamm Karrée, Kurfürstendamm, Berlin.

1986

. Painting of the facade of the boutique "Durch Bruch", Schlüterstrasse, Berlin.

. Painting of the Berlin wall at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin-Kreuzberg with Christophe Bouchet.

. 42 Statues of Liberty sprayed on the Berlin Wall, with Christophe Bouchet, at Checkpoint Charlie, on the 4th of July, for the 100th anniversary of the famous monument of New York City.

. Big Tour through France with Kiddy Citny and Sprung Aus Den Wolken.

1987

. Painting for Wim Wenders' film "The Wings of Desire" made to look like the Berlin wall.

. Restoration of the painting of the Waldemarstrasse.

1988

. Birth of Charlotte Noir.

. Painting of the emergency exit of the Gloria Cinema, Kurfürstendamm, Berlin.

. Painting with Kiddy Citny, 100 meters long of parking garage access ramp of the Grand Hotel Esplanade, Lützowufer, Berlin.

. Painting, 20 meters long, copy of Berlin wall, for the restaurant Schildhorn, Grunewald, Berlin.

1989

. Paintings on the other side of the Berlin wall.

1990

. 6 Trabants painted for the rock group U2. Images used for the graphics on the c.d.’s: The Fly and Mysterious ways. One Trabant on permanent display at the Hard Rock Café, Meinekestrasse, Berlin.

. Paintings of 15 segments of the Berlin wall. 35 meters of the East Side Gallery along the Mühlenstrasse, Berlin.

. Painting in Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany, of 5 copies on wood of the Berlin wall for the Goethe Institute.

1991

. Painting of 3 segments of the Berlin wall in the courtyard of the expedition company Heilmann, Quitzowstrasse, Berlin.

. Illustrations and text for a book edited in Japan. The Berlin wall explained to children.

. Painting 30 meters long, of the facade of the printing house Elefanten Press, Treptower Park, Berlin.

. Repainted decor for Wim Wenders's film "The wings of desire". Original work disappeared during an installation in Paris, France.

1992

. Painting of a double-decker bus in Canterbury, England. This bus is now used as a mobile TV studio.

. Painting of a grand piano with 12 artists of different nationalities. The piano travelled around the world as an action against racism.

. Creation of the digital gallery on the www. 12 digital works that can be seen world wide.

. Painting of a villa, a bathroom, and a wooden bathtub and 20 segments of the Berlin wall, in Sosnowka, near Wroclaw, Poland.

1993

. Painting 12 meters long at the T-shirt printing house, Alfred Himmelweiß, Cuvrystrasse, Berlin.

. Painting in the antechamber of the sauna at the Hotel Airport Esplanade, Rohrdamm, Berlin.

. Painting of a cupboard in the offices of the music production Lunapark, Droysenstrasse, Berlin.

. 25 meters long painting, replica of the Berlin wall for an information video about Berlin. Shot near Berlin (Drewitz).

. Painted near Brandenburg Tor of a replica of a segment of the Berlin wall for the Spanish company Iberia.

. Painting, 30 meters long for the East Side Gallery, along he Mühlenstrasse, Berlin.

. Painted with Bouchet, 3 umbrellas in Ludenscheid, near Dortmund, Germany.

. Illustration for the cover of the book by Jean-Paul Jacobs "Der Trüffelhirsch".

. Painted 29 clocks for a show in the restaurant "Landhaus Bott", Königsallee, Berlin.

. Decors, with Jim Avignon, 20 meters long in the show windows of the French consulate in Berlin, Kurfürstendamm.

1994

. Painting of an Opel Corsa for the Monte Carlo Rallye.

. 8 paintings for the decor of the rock group from Finland "Leningrad Cowboys". Concert in Huxley's, Hasenheide, Berlin.

. 3 paintings for the decor of the rock group from Canada "Ray Condo" in Ex & Pop, Mansteinstrasse, Berlin.

. Posters for the concert of Ben Becker at Spiegel Zelt, Schaperstrasse, Berlin.

. Painting, 40 meters long of a fence of a demolition site, at Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin.

. Painted men's washrooms at the bar Ex & Pop, Mansteinstrasse, Berlin.

. Decor of 9 puzzle piece paintings for the entrance of Bayerische Vereinsbank, Straussbergerplatz, Berlin.

. Painting of a Trabant for a Dutch TV crew.

. Painting of 8 replicas of the wall used as trophies in the Street Ball Championships in Berlin: School Finals Berlin.

. Paintings of a Lada, a bridge, a tunnel, a stage decor in Helsinki, Finland during the Helsinki Film Festival.

. Paintings of the walls of the night club "Underground" in Tallinn, Estonia.

. Donation of 24 paintings to save Elsa the lion.

. Painted 16 pieces at Checkpoint Charlie and 6 pieces at Brandenburg Tor with Bouchet and Kiddy Citny for the 5th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall: November 9th.

. Painted, with Kiddy Citny, 2 segments of the Berlin wall for the entrance of the Tränen Palast, Friedrichstrasse, Berlin.

1995

. Decor in the dental offices of a dentist. Maybachufer, Berlin.

. Painting of the facade of the Galerie Noir, Nollendorfstrasse 10, Berlin.

. Painting of 10 replicas of the wall used as trophies in the Street Ball Championships in Berlin: School Finals Berlin.

. Painted 12 pieces at Checkpoint Charlie, 13 meters down in the construction area of the American Business Center.

. Digital Gallery on the www. Created in Helsinki, Finland. 21 drawings that can be accessed world wide.

. Painted 3 works (3m x 2m each) for the summer party: "Le trou de l'été". Colditzstrasse, Berlin.

. Painted 300 wine labels, with Christophe Bouchet, for a show during the Helsinki Film Festival, in Helsinki, Finland.

. Painted in Helsinki, 5 meters long wall in the cinema "Kino Engel", 5 meters long piece in the offices of the printing company: Like, and a 9 meters piece in a private apartment.

. Painting of the entrance of a villa, Winklerstrasse, Berlin.

1996

. Painting of the hotel Albatross, entrance 4 m x 2,5 m, 5 pillars, and 14 works 1 m x 1 m throughout the hotel. The hotel is located at the corner of Kalischerstrasse and Rudolstädterstrasse, Berlin.

. Painted 10 canvas 3 m x 2 m, as a decor for the AVE fashion show: Arena, Eichenstrasse, Berlin.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Painting at Potsdamerplatz. 6 sections of the Berlin wall with Kiddy Citny.

. Painting of 2 cupboards for 2 doctors.

. Collaboration with Hermann Noack to produce 3 bronze sculptures and 3 aluminium sculptures.

. Renovation of 31 segments of the Berlin wall for the East Side Gallery, Mühlenstrasse, Berlin.

. Painted 50 labels for bottles of Vodka.

. Repainted. The wall segment in front of Tränenpalast, Friedrichstrasse, Berlin.

. Painted 500 chairs with 500 children for the 50th anniversary of UNICEF.

. Painting for the Friedrichstadt Passage. 4 walls of 5m x 3m and 1 wall of 2m x 3m. Friedrichstrasse, Berlin.

1997

. Painting of 20 lamps with the participation of Christoph Ernst.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. A Sculpture of steel of 65 cm with the participation of the firm Gerard Roy.

. 14 different T. Shirts with Hermann Noack.

. 2 Sculpture of aluminium 65 cm high with the participation of the Giesserei Hermann Noack.

. Painting of 3 Paravents, 160 cm x 3 x 45cm in Munich.. Opening of the Galerie Noir in the Nollendorfstrasse 10 (Berlin) and in the WWW: http://www.galerie-noir.de

. Decoration for a Siemens Party in the Nollendorfstrasse 10.

. Painting of the tiles of the Berlin fountain, Ernst Reuter Platz, to collect money to renovate this fountain.

1998

. 2 painted Trabants for the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie. One of those 2 Trabants is as permanent exhibitions parked in front of the entrance of the Museum, in the Friedrichstrasse 44-45, in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

. Painting of 4 pieces of the Berlin wall for the new Allied Museum, in Berlin Zehlendorf.

. Renovation of the 32 Pieces of the wall of the East Side Gallery.

. Painting of 7 pieces of the wall, at Potsdamer Platz, to protect the last pieces of the wall. The city of Berlin wants to take them away, and build a street.

. Painting in Paris of a piece of the Berlin wall. That piece is a part of an exhibition, which contents 32 pieces of 100cm x 120 cm, painted by 32 different international artists. The all exhibition was brought to Nicosia, Cyprus, to show that any wall is not built forever.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin. 40 basketballs and the decor of the TV studio for the sport show: Sport Palast.

. Painting with 19 other Artists of a 2,5m x 1,7m advertising’s Board in the Vossstrasse, near Potsdamerstrasse. These Paintings were later brought to Stuttgart to be sold to help a Children organization.

. Wall painting 3m x 1,8m) on a wall of dentist surgery in Berlin-Wilmersdorf.

1999

. Painting of two pieces of the wall for the Film of Frauke Sandig and Eric Black: "After the fall".

. Research for the CD-ROM of Ralf Gründer about the history of the Berlin Wall paintings.

. Painting of the bicycle shed in front of the Galerie Noir in the Nollendorfstrasse, in a working co-operation with Christoph Ernst.

. Creation of two mini-gardens in front of the Galerie Noir.

. Painting of two Computer chairs.

. Painting of two pictures for the design of 300 Coffee Cups of the firm Débis.

. Painting of a Trabant Limousine for the 13th of August, the day of the beginning of the construction of the wall.

. Painting of the pieces of the wall for a Japanese Television.

. Painting of a trailer of 2x 3 meters at Checkpoint Charlie.

. Chalk painting with Ute Donner on the wall of the French restaurant "Savoie Rire", in the Kantstrasse in Berlin.

. Painting of the pieces of the Berlin wall with Christophe Bouchet and Kiddy Citny, in front of the Gedächniskirche, for the anniversary of the fall of the wall, at the 9th of the November.

2000

. Painting of 111 plates and a canvas of 2 x 3 meter for the night of the museum at Checkpoint Charlie Museum.

. Paintings on the ship Aida Cara with Kiddy Citny, between Santo Domingo and Palma de Mallorca.

. Painting of two elements of the Berlin wall in the allied Museum in Berlin Zehlendorf. Those 2 elements were after exchange against a former Perching Missile.

. Painting of a parasol for a group exhibition in Austria.

. Appearance in the book of Wencke Boll "Big animals in Berlin" about the Berlin Zoo. Photo with the crocodile.

. Restoration of the 16 Wall paintings of the East Side Gallery in Berlin Friedrichshain (2,40 x 3,60 meters), with the financial participation of the syndicate of the paintings industry.

. Painting of 2 Paravents (folding screens).

2001

. Painting of 4 little pieces of the Berlin wall at Checkpoint Charlie during the long night of the museums.

. Painting of pictures and plates during the International Tourist Fair (ITB) in Berlin.

. Paintings on the ship Aida Cara, between Santo Domingo and Palma de Mallorca.

. Painting of a piece of the Berlin Wall for the exhibition "The Wall" in Cologne with 40 other international artists.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Various concerts in Berlin as a One man Show or with Kiddy Citny.

. Painting of pictures and plates for the long night of the museums at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.

. Renovation with Kiddy Citny of the 2 paintings on the wall in front of the Tränen-Palast in Berlin-Mitte.

. Painting on the ship Aida Cara, between Palma de Mallorca and Santo Domingo. Painting of a big painting on the wall of the TV studio of the ship.

2002

. Journey to France (Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier.)

. Journey to Montréal (Québec, Canada).

. Paintings on the ship Arosa Blu between Rostock, Oslo and Copenhagen then Rostock, Helsinki and Saint-Petersburg. A big painting of 70 x 10 meter done in 1 hour 54.

. Renovation of the paintings done in 1990 in a bathroom of Berlin-Kreuzberg.

. Extension of the Internet site "galerie-noir.de".

. Move from the Youth Centre "Georg von Rauch House" at the Mariannenplatz after 20 years.

Painting of a Berlin Wall segment in front of the entrance of the Kolumbus Hotel in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen.

. Paintings of 40 statues of 50 cm made of special plaster at the foundry Hermann Noack in Berlin.

2003

. Painting of a Mini Berlin bear to help the renovation of the East Side Gallery.

. New Atelier near Viktoriapark in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

. Renovation of a, in 3 pieces sawed, trophy of the Street-Ball competition of RBB.

. Painting of a morning robe.

. Painting of 8 segments of the so called “second Wall”. Each segment is: 50 x 60 cm x 7 cm.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Painting of a Berlin Wall segment near Wilhelmstrasse 87 in Berlin-Mitte.

. Inauguration with Kiddy Citny of the 7 Berlin Wall segments at the entrance of the Märkisches Museum in Berlin-Mitte.

2004

. Painting of the TV Studio on board of the ship Aida Blu. Paintings and Malrathon between Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Oslo. Painting of the „Brain-Machine“.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. One postcard for Mettmann. To celebrate the 1100. year of the creation of the city: Mettmann.

. Paintings and Malrathon on the ship Aida Blu, between Bergen, the North Cape, Reykjavik and Copenhagen.

. Paintings of 3 Berlin Wall segments, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, made of Drywall, to help the renovation of the East Side Gallery.

. Transport of 2 painted pieces of the Berlin Wall from Berlin to Battery Park, in New York City, to celebrate the 15. year of the opening of the Wall.

. Painting of 4 vases of flowers.

. Painting of 1 pair of rubber boots.

2005

. Flyer and decoration for the party and the Mode show „Achtung Save The Date”.

. Renovation of the 3 mobile Streetball panels. Paintings for the new Sunshades of the School Finals Berlin.

. Paintings of 3 Berlin Wall segments at the firm Dämmisol. One Segment goes to Los Angeles at the „Wende Museum“.

. Paintings and Malrathon on the ship Aida Blu, between, Tenerife, Madeira, Grand Canarias and Lanzarote.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin 2005. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Painting of a 2 meters big „Buddy Bär“, at Checkpoint Charlie, to help the children project: Arche.

. Decoration for the Warm-up Party one day before the U2 concert in Berlin.

. Paintings, Malrathon and Painting’s teaching, with Christina Allzeit, on the ship Aida Blu, between Bergen, the North Cape, Reykjavik and Copenhagen. Renovation of the „Brain-Machine“.

. Concept of the cover Cd „Helsinki“, the new album of Janne Haavisto and Miikka Paatelainen.

. Painting, renovation and inauguration of a Berlin Wall segment, with Christina Allzeit, in front the laboratory of “TÜV Rheinland”, in Yokohama (Japan).

. Painting of a pair of tennis shoes.

. Conception of a page of the Berlin newspaper “BZ“ for a special edition of this newpaper.

2006

. Painting of a 20 meter long wall at the entrance of the Max Planck Institute in Greifswald, north east Germany.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin 2006. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Painting of a 3 x 1 meter banner „Basilicata senza confini“.

. One Berlin Wall segment of the Waldemarstrasse, painted witht Kiddy Citny, now inside the „Galeries Lafayette“, Französische Straße 23 in Berlin-Mitte.

. Transport of the original Berlin Wall ladder to Los Angeles for the “Wende Museum”.

. Creation, with the firm Buddy Bear Berlin, of a miniature Buddy Bär Teddy Noir around 22 cm high and of a mini-miniature Buddy Bär Teddy Noir around 6 cm high.

. 4 frescos (2,6 x 1,2 Meter) on the walls of the new Restaurant Galerie Bardeau in the Nollendorfstrasse 10 in Berlin-Schöneberg.

2007

. Painting of a wall near the entrance of an Art gallery of the “montée de la croix Rousse” in Lyon (France).

. Painting of 15 Berlin Wall segments with students of the Carl Zeiss Oberschule, in the yard of the firm Dämmisol in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin 2007. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Conception of diverse cravats Noir with the Berlin firm: Baertie.

. Painting of 6 Berlin Wall segments, on June the 17th, with 5 other artists of the East Side Gallery, in front of the 10 of the Zimmerstrasse in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

2008

. Renovation of a piece of the Berlin painted in February 1987 in der Waldemarstreet in Berlin-Kreuzberg, for the Wim Wenders’ Movie „ The Wings of Desire” now in the backyard of the new USA-Embassy at Pariser Platz near the Brandenburg Gate.

. Painting of a 220 cm high x 60 cm large wooden Scarecrow for the „Manoir de Couesme“ in France.

. Painting for the School Finals Berlin 2008. 10 trophies, replicas of a piece of the Berlin Wall, and 40 paintings of 30 x 24 cm for the Street Ball competition of RBB and the schools of Berlin.

. Painting of the backside and renovation of a Berlin Wall piece painted in October 1985 in the Waldemarstreet in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

. Painting of a 260 high x 250 cm long wall in Seinäjoki, Finland.

. Painting with Kiddy Citny of 30 wooden wall replicas, 36 cm high x 12 cm large.

. Painting of 1 pair of rubber boots.