W.I.M. The Art of Seeing

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, the Bundeskunsthalle is dedicating a large, immersive and visually powerful exhibition to the filmmaker and artist Wim Wenders, which is being conceived together with the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum.

The internationally acclaimed filmmaker and artist became famous with films such as The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972) and Wrong Move (1975), both based on works by Peter Handke, Alice in the Cities (1973/1974) and The American Friend (1977), based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith. Other cinematic milestones include Paris, Texas, which won the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1984, and Wings of Desire (1987). He received an Oscar nomination and the European Film Award for Buena Vista Social Club (1999). In 2024, Perfect Days (2023) was nominated for an Oscar and celebrated as the best film in the Asia-Pacific region.

Wim Wenders is also renowned for his sensitive documentaries about fellow artists, among them Pina (2011) and, most recently, Anselm (2023) shot in 3D. The exhibition sets out to focus not only on his innovative cinematography but to present it alongside a survey of his wider creative output. This includes his photographs, collages and drawings, as well as his extensive personal film library, posters and his ‘electronic paintings’. Storyboards, props and behind-the-scenes material, inspiration drawn from art and music and, as a special highlight, a large immersive cinematographic installation with state-of-the-art image and sound technology invite visitors to immerse themselves in Wenders’ cinematic oeuvre. In the audio guide, Wim Wenders himself takes visitors through the exhibition and offers insight into the context and background of the exhibits.

An exhibition of the Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, in co-operation with the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main, the Wim Wenders Stiftung, Düsseldorf, Wenders Images, Berlin and with the kind support of Road Movies, Berlin.

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From March 10 to October 9, 2026, the DFF – German Film Institute & Film Museum, Frankfurt am Main, will present a conceptually redesigned exhibition.

Curators

📧 Susanne Kleine
Hans-Peter Reichmann und Isabelle Louise Bastian, DFF

Press Officer

📧 Sven Bergmann

Cooperation Partners

An exhibition of the Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, in co-operation with the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main, the Wim Wenders Stiftung, Düsseldorf, Wenders Images, Berlin and with the kind support of Road Movies, Berlin.
 

Cultural Partner

Media Partner