• Overview
    Thierry Noir
     Freedom is everything. If you are not free, you're not existing.
    Thierry Noir was born in 1958 in Lyon, France, and came to Berlin in January 1982. In April 1984, Noir began to paint the Berlin Wall and is credited as being the first artist to do so.  Noir’s objective was to perform one real revolutionary act: To paint the Berlin wall, to transform it, to make it ridiculous, and to help destroy it prempting its ultimate fall in 1989. Noir covered the Berlin Wall, more than 3 metres high, with bright, vivid colours, aiming not to embellish the wall but to demystify it. Noir’s iconic, bright and seemingly innocent works painted on this deadly border symbolised a sole act of defiance and a lone voice of freedom. 

    Painting on the wall was absolutely forbidden; it was built 3 metres beyond the official border so the east-German soldiers were able to arrest any person standing near it. Noir had to paint as quickly as possible, using the recipe of ‘two ideas, three colours’ as a celebration of the ‘eternal youth’. Despite their bright colours and playful nature, the murals left a lingering sense of melancholy: As Noir says, “I did nothing but react to its sadness”.

    Since the 1980s, Noir’s exploits and highly distinctive visual language have become world famous and immortalised in popular culture such as Wim Wenders’ 1987 film Wings of Desire and the cover of U2’s album Acthung Baby. 

    Noir’s practice has a strong emphasis on line and aims to simplify forms to their most basic elements. This simplicity reflected the necessity of painting quickly outdoors in a hazardous environment with very real risks to his personal safety. Noir reacted to his environment and his monsters are a metaphor for the Wall itself, each one relating to his experiences or feelings of what he calls a ‘killing machine’.

  • Select Prints By Thierry Noir
    • Thierry Noir, Walking along the Thames. We even see boats!, 2019
      Thierry Noir, Walking along the Thames. We even see boats!, 2019
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    • Thierry Noir, Black and Blue, 2014
      Thierry Noir, Black and Blue, 2014
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    • Thierry Noir, Capturing the Moment in Colour, 2023
      Thierry Noir, Capturing the Moment in Colour, 2023
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    • Thierry Noir, I am looking for a seat in the sun, I need to recharge my batteries before returning to the shade., 2020
      Thierry Noir, I am looking for a seat in the sun, I need to recharge my batteries before returning to the shade., 2020
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  • Buying and Selling Thierry Noir Prints Through Guy Hepner

    Buying and Selling Thierry Noir Prints Through Guy Hepner

    Thierry Noir is a French street artist known for his colorful, bold, and playful works that have become iconic symbols of the Berlin Wall and the street art movement. He was one of the first artists to paint the Berlin Wall in the 1980s, transforming it into a vivid, open-air gallery that celebrated freedom and resistance against oppression. Noir’s distinctive style features bright, block colors and simple, cartoon-like figures with exaggerated features, capturing a sense of spontaneity and joy. His work is often seen as a celebration of creativity and a powerful statement against the division and limitations of the human spirit. Collectors of Thierry Noir’s works through Guy Hepner appreciate his pioneering role in street art and his ability to convey powerful messages with simplicity and humor. Each piece reflects Noir’s unique approach to art-making, blending historical significance with an unmistakable visual language. Guy Hepner is excited to offer collectors the opportunity to buy and sell Thierry Noir's dynamic works, which continue to inspire with their bold colors and enduring message of hope and unity.

     
  • Series