Image: Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum, Bremen
A new film about the German painter Paula Modersohn-Becker will open in cinemas on 3 September, according to the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum in Bremen. Titled ‘Paula Modersohn-Becker – Wer weiß schon, was ein Leben ist?’, the production combines fiction, documentary, literature and acting in an exploration of the artist’s biography and pursuit of artistic independence.
The film follows actor Katharina Stark as she prepares to play Modersohn-Becker. In that process, Stark undertakes a personal journey through the painter’s life, tracing her story in Worpswede and Paris. The production uses these investigations as a framework for moving between acted scenes, documentary material, literary elements and reflective passages.
The museum’s announcement describes the film as a work that brings together “fiction, documentary, literature, acting, moving images and contemplative moments.” It presents Modersohn-Becker’s struggle for artistic freedom and self-determination as an issue with continuing relevance, while centring the encounter between Stark’s preparation for the role and the painter’s biography.
The release follows an ARTE production about Modersohn-Becker shown in February, the museum said, although the announcement does not provide further details about that earlier programme. The new film is presented as a cinema release rather than as an exhibition or screening hosted by the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum.
The museum is part of Museen Böttcherstraße in Bremen, an institutional group that also includes the Ludwig Roselius Museum and the Sammlung Bernhard Hoetger. The Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum’s programme includes exhibitions, guided tours, educational activities and digital projects, including the online exhibition ‘Die Zeichnerin Paula Modersohn-Becker’. Its museum buildings are located at Böttcherstraße 6 in central Bremen and are open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am to 6pm.
The cinema release coincides with a wider programme of activity around Modersohn-Becker at the museum. The institution’s events listings include public tours of ‘BECOMING PAULA. London Berlin Worpswede Paris’, as well as separate events examining the human body, self-presentation and the artist’s connections with other figures. The film itself opens in cinemas on 3 September.
