The Moscow painter Dimitri Vrubel developed heart problems after a corona infection while recovering Photo: Hannibal dpa/lbn
By Johannes Malinowski
He created the most famous street art in the capital. His fraternal kiss became a symbol of Berlin. Now Dmitri Vladimirovich Vrubel (62) is dying.
The cause is heart disease as a result of corona disease. As the BZ learned from his family, heart problems developed after the infection during recovery. Doctors later diagnosed a stroke.
Vrubel is in a coma, but the doctors have given up all hope. In consultation with the family, the devices will be switched off promptly. Since he is an organ donor, it is still unclear when that will happen.
He was born in Moscow in 1960 to two engineers. He started painting at the age of 15 and opened his own gallery a few years later. In the year of reunification in 1990 he came to Berlin. His wife had left him shortly before.
The longest open-air gallery became Wrubel’s canvas. In 1991 he painted his “Brotherly Kiss” on the East Side Gallery. The now world-famous picture in which East German head of state Erich Honecker and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev are kissing. Below it the saying: My God, help me to survive this deadly love. An iconic monument photographed by thousands of Berlin tourists every year.
The Fraternal Kiss is one of the most popular artworks at the East Side Gallery Photo: picture alliance / imageBROKER
The artist, who often appeared in a black hat, was often criticized for his work. Provocative, sometimes political, often misunderstood. His mission in life: to bring art and people together again.