40 years of the German-German Cultural Agreement
Rio Reiser sings “Der Traum ist aus” in East Berlin, Katja Ebstein cycles through the GDR in front of the camera, and in the West, GDR painters exhibit their “portraits of people”: the cultural agreement came into force 40 years ago. What impact did it have?
Image gallery
Contemporary witnesses and key figures from that era will discuss the matter at the event organised by the SPK in collaboration with the Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl Foundation: what impact did the agreement have? How did art and audiences, living under such different circumstances, interact? We must also explore the question of what characterised GDR culture, which was partly state-controlled and partly independent and subversive. How do its distinctive features continue to have an impact today? A key topic of discussion on the panel will be whether and how art and culture can bring about social change.
The panellists are Ingeborg Ruthe, art critic for the *Berliner Zeitung*; Petra Winter, director of the Central Archive of the State Museums in Berlin; Thomas Flierl, former employee of the GDR Ministry of Culture and ex-Senator for Culture; gallery owner Felix Brusberg; and Ulrich Leidholdt, former GDR radio correspondent for WDR.
Moderator: Christhard Läpple (former editor at ZDF).
- Date: 9 November 2026
- Time: 6.00 pm
- Venue: James-Simon-Galerie
Please register for this evening event, which includes a reception.
Dates
November 2026
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