The Zytglogge clock tower, Bern, Switzerland.
We presume this was painted from a photo in a newspaper or magazine, and not from memory, as Des never to our knowledge travelled to Switzerland.
Berne Clock Tower
Albert Einstein lived this street at 49 Kramgasse, Berne, Switzerland. At the end of the street is Berne’s famous clock tower (as painted above by Des).
After the rise of NAZI in Germany, Einstein left for USA. Einstein and relatives left Europe for the United States, on December 9, 1930.
In August 2nd 1939 Einstein wrote of his concerns that German scientists were developing an atomic bomb, and urged USA to beat them in the race to develop such a weapon. This resulted in the US spending $5 billion in developing the Atomic Bomb, initially know as the Manhattan Project. However before it was ever developed Germany surrendered, however Japan continued to fight and the Atomic Bomb was developed and dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in early August 1945 – in that same month the Japanese Imperial Forces surrendered.
It is interesting that Des painted Einstein’s street and clock tower – as unknown to him at this time Albert was instrumental in the development of an atomic bomb which would be end the war with Japan – freeing him and untold allied lives – in conflict and as Prisoners of War. After 3.5 years as POW’s, in hundreds of hard labour camps, they were now very weak, starving to death and wouldn’t have been able to continue for much longer. As we all know, countless thousands had already died as POW’s of the Japanese.