While in his early photographs there is a sense of wonder and astonishment about this “insane” city and the surreal after-effects of the war, in the years that follow his distance makes way for a keen sense of closeness, generating emotional portraits and news reports that are full of vitality. The city is a source of inspiration for him, putting him in a state of feverish anticipation. For Will McBride, Berlin at the end of the fifties was an inspiring, fabulous place and its varying shades of grey formed a complete contrast to his home country. As a chronicler of youth, the focus of Will McBride’s work is much more on the newly-gained spaces offering freedom and lifestyle, new beginnings and experiments – both in the west and in the east of the city. His early black-and-white photographs of the city in ruins, through to the construction of the Berlin Wall, fascinate viewers with their authenticity, intimacy and dynamics, which are a far cry from the previously familiar tristesse of the harsh postwar reality. A self-confident young American can be found wandering among all these everyday contradictions, capturing people and their lust for life with his camera, unprecedented curiosity and a fresh perspective – Will McBride. A decade after Germany’s capitulation, Berlin can still be found in exceptional circumstances between piles of rubble and milk bars, people disabled in the war and beatnik, political demonstrations and boat parties, tanks and vespas. Despite radical, ideological conflicts there is a whiff of youthful freedom in this city at the front line of the cold war.

In the midst of the leaden post-war era, an initial economic revival begins to bloom. There is life simmering between urban ruins.

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