The strange and quiet world of Wim Wenders

»Everything I have done, from painting to poetry, writing, photography or filmmaking, has had music as its source.« With these words, Wim Wenders explains the great connection between his artistic work. Known primarily as a filmmaker, Wenders has also created an impressive oeuvre of sometimes whimsical landscape and urban photographs while traveling over the decades. To mark his 80th birthday, the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn is opening the major exhibition W.I.M. The Art of Seeing on August 1st. In addition to the cinematic and photographic work, early collages and drawings as well as numerous production documents for the films, props, costumes, behind-the-scenes excerpts and insights into Wenders' inspirations from art and music are on display. A highlight of the exhibition is an immersive cinematographic installation that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the artist's cinematic world. W.I.M. The Art of Seeing runs until January 11, 2026. Wenders recorded an audio walk especially for the show in which he sheds light on the background to his projects.

Wim Wenders is a central figure of New German Cinema during the 1970s, in which social and political criticism was at the forefront. He established himself internationally in the 1980s, particularly with the films Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987). He has won prizes at the three most important film festivals in Cannes, Venice and Berlin and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, mainly for his documentaries. For example, Wenders made the documentary Anselm (2023) about the artist Anselm Kiefer and The Salt of the Earth (2014) about the photographer Sebastião Salgado.