Headquarters of the American Forces Berlin Clayallee 1945

Headquarters of the American Forces Berlin Clayallee 1945

FINAL WALK – Headquarters of the American Forces
Berlin Clayallee 1945 – 1994
Photography Sabine von Breunig
The German Consulate General Presents:
In 2012 & 2013 Sabine von Breunig had the privilege
to take photos in the former headquarters of the
American Forces in Berlin. Her photos are references
to a past epoch, a final look back.
Sabine von Breunig works exceed the purely
documentary. Her photographs make the atmosphere
of the shown spaces perceptible, they impress by an
artistic look, the subtle handling of light and the almost
abstract appearing composition of color and structure.
The headquarters of the American Forces in Berlin
was one of the hot spots of the Cold War. Here,
history was made and substantial contributions towards international understanding and to the foundation of the
Federal Republic of Germany were achieved. This was where General Lucius D. Clay initialized the famous
Berlin ‚Luftbrücke’ with which 2 million citizens of Berlin were given necessary supplies from the air. USpresidents and famous decision makers visited the headquarters in Berlin, including President John F. Kennedy.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, within the scope of the reunification of Germany, the allied sovereignty in Berlin
expired on October 3rd, 1990, the era of the military governors came to an end, and their administrations closed
down. After nearly 50 years of residency, the Americans handed their headquarters back to the German Federal
Republic.
The area has been lying idle since 1994 and has only been sporadically used as backdrop for Hollywood
film productions. “Inglorious Bastards” starring Brad Pitt and “Operation Valkyrie” with Tom Cruise were shot
here.
In May 2011, the five hectare property was sold for 15 million Euros to an investor and the seven forpreservation buildings were remodeled into luxury flats and the signs of history vanished.
About the artist:
Sabine von Breunig attended the master class of Prof. Arno Fischer, Berlin. Her work has been shown in Berlin,
Köln and New York. Her book ‚Geisterstadt’ (ghost town) was published 2012 by Edition Braus/Aufbau Verlag
and in 2014 it was nominated for the Photobook Prize of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels.
The exhibition is supported by the Berlin Senate Cultural Affairs Department.
Location and time:
German Consulate General
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Thursday, March 3, 2016 – Friday, April 15, 2016
Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission is free.
Opening reception: Thursday, March 3, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
RSVP required at https://vonbreunig.eventbrite.com