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Although political intolerance, two world wars, and the decades-long division of Europe into Western and Eastern blocs repeatedly interrupted and sought to suppress its development, abstraction has continued to assert its place in the art scene to this day, evolving in ever-new forms. In addition to the frequently highlighted metropolises of Paris, Berlin, and New York, the East and its border regions also produced prominent representatives such as Otto Mueller, Gerhard Richter, Strawalde, Sigmar Polke, Horst Weber, Frank Nitsche, and Thoralf Knobloch, who were born here or gained their first artistic experiences before later conquering galleries, museums, and the global art market. It is also important to rediscover many other artists who have received little international attention so far, such as Hans Tischler, Fritz Neumann-Hegenberg, Marg and Oscar Moll, Carl Lohse, Willy Schmidt, Horst Strempel, Hans Schulze, Reinhard Roy, and others, who kept the paths to abstraction open, allowing it to regain momentum as cross-border cultural exchange has become a given once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n