‘Black Form – Dedicated to the Missing Jews’ Monument

Since November 1989, the monument entitled ‘Black Form - Dedicated to the Missing Jews’ has stood outside the city hall in Altona. This black rectangular solid was designed in 1987 by Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) for the prestigious Skulptur Projekte Münster exhibition. Sol LeWitt was one of the most famous representatives of the American abstract minimalist style. His sculpture is dedicated to the Jews of Altona who were deported and murdered by the Nazis.
The district of Altona and the Hamburg Cultural Authority arranged for the sculpture to be installed in its current location. The dark wall of blocks partially obscures the imposing façade of the town hall from various angles. In 1992, the Stadtteilarchiv Ottensen (a local history workshop) added an information panel to the site.