The WALL JUMPER

Berlin, Germany · 1990, restored 2009

Gabriel Heimler’s The Wall Jumper (Mauerspringer) was painted on the Berlin Wall in 1990 as part of the East Side Gallery, now an internationally recognised historical monument commemorating the fall of the Wall.

The mural depicts a man leaping from West to East Berlin. For Gabriel, the direction of the jump is less important than the act itself. The figure represents the possibility of overcoming borders and divisions, reflecting Gabriel’s own experience of having lived on both sides of divided Berlin.

Restored in 2009, The Wall Jumper became one of Gabriel’s most recognised public works. Its image has appeared in Lonely Planet’s Pocket Berlin and in a Getty Museum publication featuring significant murals from around the world.