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Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Artist / Origin: Peter Eisenman (American, b. 1932)
Region: Europe
Date: 1999–2005
Period: 1900 CE – 2010 CE
Material: Concrete
Medium: Sculpture
Dimensions: (Total) Covers 5 ½ acres; (Blocks) H: 0-13.1 ft. (0–4 m.), W: 37.4 in. (95 cm.), L: 7.79 ft. (2.375 m.) (each)
Location: Berlin, Germany
Credit: Photo courtesy of Simon Sinek
Mulackstrasse 37, Berlin from The Writing on the Wall, Projections in Berlin’s Jewish Quarter
Artist / Origin: Shimon Attie (American, b. 1957)
Region: North America
Date: 1993
Period: 1900 CE – 2010 CE
Material: Photograph (of slide projection)
Medium: Prints, Drawings, and Photography
Credit: Photo courtesy of the artist
An important function of much artwork dealing with history is commemoration and memorialization. When the history addressed is traumatic, art can play a special role in helping people come to terms with the past and move forward. It can at the same time be a powerful reminder to people in the present not to repeat the mistakes of bygone eras. Both Eisenman’s Berlin memorial and Attie’s Writing on the Wall are dedicated to the painful history of the Holocaust. However, each artist calls upon his audience to reflect on that history in a unique way.