Accession Number2012/2.80
TitleBerlin is Taken
Artist(s)Dmitri BaltermantsArtist NationalityRussian (culture or style)Object Creation Date1945Medium & Supportgelatin silver print on paperDimensions 16 in x 20 in (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. James Agah, Class of 1989 (BBA)Subject matterIn this photograph, the barrel of an antitank gun projects forward, almost seeming to come out of the picture plane in the right foreground. Behind, a row of buildings lay in ruins; some still burn. The ethereal quality of the bright-white flames, combined with the clouds and smoke above and the nearly transparent figure of a man in the center of the composition, make this a rather haunting image, despite its otherwise triumphalist tone (which is reiterated by the title: “Berlin is Taken). This image forms part of Baltermants’s larger project (as an official photographer to the Kremlin) which, spread across numerous portfolios, aimed to document scenes from the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945), known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War.
Physical DescriptionThe barrel of an antitank gun points out of the picture plane; a building has caught fire in the distance.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
antitank guns
burning
clouds
journalistic photography
street scenes
war photography
world wars