Rebecca Horn - The Secret Life of Things

Sinopsis

Rebecca Horn is one of the most fascinating female artists of the 20th century. The film explores her poetic, multifaceted and enigmatic body of work, which spans performances, films, installations, sculptures and drawings. Much of her internationally acclaimed work focuses on the relationship between the human body, machines and space.

Claudia Müller (Germany)

Claudia Müller, born in 1964, is a German documentary filmmaker living in Berlin and Vienna. She is known for her numerous outstanding film portraits, which are primarily dedicated to international artists. Müller has a profound knowledge of the production and theory of contemporary art and a deep insight into the art scene; in almost three decades she has established connections with many artists all over the world. After studying German, journalism and art at the universities of Berlin and Cologne, she worked as a freelance journalist and director and made numerous documentary films. Claudia Müller is particularly interested in the visual arts and presents in her films the work of artists such as Jenny Holzer (2009), Shirin Neshat (2010), Kiki Smith (2014), VALIE EXPORT (2015), Katharina Grosse (2020) Heidi Bucher ( 2021) as well as the writer and theater director Hans Neuenfels (2011) and the designer and artist Helmut Lang (2016). In her ongoing documentary series Women Artists, Claudia Müller has featured Katharina Grosse, Annette Messager, Kiki Smith, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Monica Bonvicini, Tatiana Trouvé, and Ursula von Rydingsvard. More than 80 women artists from diverse geographical and cultural contexts are represented in this comprehensive project. Their work contributes to the ongoing debate on identity, gender, sexuality, feminism, female aesthetics, and the visibility of women in art. Her feature length documentary Elfriede Jelinek-Language unleashed has been awarded with the German and Austrian Film Award for Best Documentary as well as the international critics’ prize FIRPRESCI Award.

Claudia Müller just finished a feature length documentary on the German artist Rebecca Horn (Cinema release in 2026) and is now working on a new film about the Austrian artists VALIE EXPORT.

Friday, Nov. 6th. 6:00 p.m.
Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
Free admission with prior registration through the museum's website

Outstanding Creator

Presentation and Q&A with the director.

Year of Production: 2026

Time: 90’

Country: Germany

Language: German. Original version with Spanish subtitles

Director: Claudia Müller

Cast: Rebecca Horn

Production: Martina Haubrich

Script: Claudia Müller

Director of Photography: Christine A. Maier