The frieze at the former Pressecafé

Is this art or…?

"Is this art or can it go?" That's a typical German joke about stuff that is called "art" but neither impressive nor inspiring. 

Well, this is indeed art - and yet the enamel frieze on the former Pressecafé on Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, realized with a sophisticated technique in bold colors, was "gone" for 29 years; hidden behind a covering with the neon sign of a steakhouse.

In 1973, painter Willi Neubert created the work titled "Die Presse als Organisator" (The Press as Organizer) as a commissioned art-on-building piece, 76 meters long and 3.50 meters high. Similarly ideologically biased as the belly band of the "Haus des Lehrers" and the metal frieze on the "Haus des Reisens", the mural was never particularly popular, but as a now landmarked part of Alexanderplatz's socialist past, the work deserves to be allowed to shine again now; meticulously restored and certainly more meaningful than any steak, no matter how good.

SMV has been involved with the full range of project management services since the purchase.

For more information on the Pressehaus building ensemble at Alexanderplatz, click here.

Pictures: © SMV Bauprojektsteuerung