Thierry Noir
He was inspired by musicians David Bowie, Nina Hagen, and Iggy Pop[6][7] who also lived in West Berlin at the time.
[3] Upon arriving in Berlin, Noir himself became a musician and toured as a multi-instrumentalist in the German musical group, Sprung aus den Wolken.
One of the first works they painted on the wall was an homage to Jean de La Fontaine's fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare" close to Potsdamer Platz.
[4] Some were concerned about the source of his potential financial backing, even suggesting that he might work for the American Central Intelligence Agency[8] or that he might be a French spy.
[11] Noir also had to paint quickly and surreptitiously to avoid being caught by the Genztruppen (German Democratic Republic border guards).
Owing to these constraints, Noir developed his now iconic style (which he dubbed "Fast Form Manifest") to portray his figures with one continuous line and just a few colours.
[15] On 23 June 1990, 33 original painted sections of the Berlin Wall featuring Noir's artwork that had been saved from destruction were auctioned off at the Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo to an international audience.
He also collaborated with Irish rock group U2, who commissioned him to paint a series of six Trabant cars[6] for their 1992 Zoo TV Tour.
[18] Noir's Trabants were incorporated into the lighting rigs for the tour,[19] and images of them were used as cover art for U2 singles including "The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways".
Ten original segments of the Berlin Wall were imported to the United States and newly painted in Los Angeles by Noir and L.A.-based artists including Shepard Fairey, Retna, and Kent Twitchell.
[20][21] Noir traveled to London in 2013 to collaborate with the U.K. artist, STIK, on a large mural on the Village Underground in Shoreditch and to deliver a public lecture at Somerset House on the history of street art.
[37] In Los Angeles, segments are located at 5900 Wilshire Boulevard as part of a larger display[20] and at Loyola Marymount University.
[41] In 2019, Heidi Klum's husband, Tom Kaulitz, gifted her a segment of the Berlin Wall that had been newly painted by Noir for display outside her home in Los Angeles.
After talking multiple times per week, Wenders decided to put Noir in a scene where he was depicted standing on his ladder while working on the Berlin Wall.
[47][48] In 2015, Noir worked with drinks firm Hennessy to create custom bottle labels with sale proceeds going to the Centrepoint charity for homeless youth.
