In the early 1980s, soon after John Lennon’s assassination, an image of him suddenly appeared on a wall opposite the French Embassy in Prague. This was Communist Czechoslovakia, where Western music was banned, pacifist heroes were out of favor and graffiti was not to be tolerated.
The image was whitewashed. It reappeared. It was whitewashed again. It reappeared. Over the years, Beatles’ lyrics and political statements joined it. By the time the Berlin Wall fell, the wall had become an institution.
Despite attempts by the Knights of Malta to paint it over, it endures, now embellished with notes from passing tourists.