Ode to the Sun: An Art History

Lyonel Feininger's work is as individual and unmistakable as he is himself. As a classical modernist artist, he is difficult to categorize. He lived and worked in Germany for a long time. He began his career as a caricaturist, later became known as a painter and headed the printing workshops at the Bauhaus. His work cannot be classified as cubism or expressionism. The film visits places that inspired him, such as Paris, the villages around Weimar and, above all, the Baltic coast - many of which are reflected in Feininger's work and make the development of his oeuvre comprehensible.

From Emptiness to Infinity pays homage to one of the world's most renowned architects, Japanese minimalist master Tadao Ando (born 1941), offering an exclusive glimpse into his work process. Ando is known for his creative implementation of natural light, his deft interweaving of interior and exterior space and for designing structures that elegantly evoke the contours of the landscape in which they are set. Conceptually and aesthetically, his award-winning exposed concrete designs forge a link between traditional Japanese architecture, Zen and contemporary modernism, while also expressing his fundamental belief that "to change the dwelling is to change the city and to reform society." Directed by Mathias Frick and produced by Susann Schimk and Jörg Trentmann, the film introduces viewers to his world-famous buildings and offers an exclusive look into his work process, as Ando shares his sources of personal inspiration and motivation and looks back over his 40-year career.

Leaving the studio to go out and capture real life: that was the impressionist aesthetic. Claude Monet was its most famous proponent and artist. This documentary reveals the places that inspired the painter during his lifetime.

Matthias Frick’s Architecture Must Blaze shows how original thinkers can achieve significant renewal in architecture. The title refers to the manifesto by architect, revolutionary and activist Wolf D. Prix, which turned the architecture world upside down in 1968. Inspired by the ‘happenings’ of the 1960s, he and Helmut Swiczinsky founded the office Coop Himmelb(l)au, causing a storm with buildings that looked like they had exploded. They became the standard bearers of deconstructivism with projects such as the Martin Luther Church in Hainsburg and the Groninger Museum. Wolf D. Prix talks candidly about their revolutionary work of the 1970s and why he eventually took the controversial decision to work for “big money”.

CLIMATE ART explores how contemporary art engages with the climate crisis. Journalist Leonie Sontheimer visits influential artists like Olafur Eliasson, Sebastião Salgado, and Agnes Denes, whose works inspire new perspectives—from Europe to the Global South. The film also questions the sustainability of the global art world, challenging its reliance on travel, transport, and large events. It reveals how artists are turning climate anxiety into creative resistance and activism. Included is one of the final interviews with Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, who passed away on May 23, 2025.