L. Brejnev et E. Honecker
Photographer: Régis Bossu
Date: October 1979
Location: East Berlin, East Germany
Régis Bossu photographed Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German leader Erich Honecker exchanging the traditional socialist fraternal kiss — a kiss on the lips customary between senior leaders of communist states — during celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in East Berlin in October 1979. The image became one of the most famous political photographs of the Cold War era. In 1990, artist Dmitri Vrubel recreated the image as a large mural on the Berlin Wall, titled 'My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love' — it became one of the most iconic artworks on the East Side Gallery, the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall. Vrubel's version was restored in 2009 after the original deteriorated due to weather and graffiti.
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