Berlin, Steel sculpture at German Chancellery, Berlin, Germany
Berlin is a 6-metre-high, 6-metre-wide steel sculpture by Eduardo Chillida, weighing 90 tonnes. It consists of two curved steel beams that reach toward each other like arms about to interlock, standing in the gardens of the Federal Chancellery near the main gate.
In 1998 the German publisher Rolf Becker, a follower of Eduardo Chillida's work, commissioned the sculptor to create a work representing German reunification, which Becker financed and gave to Berlin. Chillida forged the 90-tonne steel piece at the Sidenor factory in Reinosa, Cantabria. It was first placed at the Chillida-Leku museum in Hernani, then shipped from Pasajes to the Netherlands and by road to Berlin. It was inaugurated on 2 May 2001 in the Chancellery gardens and moved about 30 metres in June 2002 at Chancellor Schröder's request.
The sculpture represents the concept of German unity through its interconnected steel elements that form abstract spaces and structural relationships.
The sculpture is clearly visible from outside and can be viewed from multiple angles. Access to the Chancellery grounds typically requires advance registration and security procedures.
The 90-tonne sculpture was forged at the Sidenor factory in Reinosa, Cantabria, where the forges were pushed to their capacity limit. It was first placed at the entrance of the Chillida-Leku museum in Hernani before being shipped from Pasajes to the Netherlands and then by road to Berlin. In 2002 it was moved about 30 metres away from the Chancellery building.
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