"I've been a jester all my life, and I liked it."
Armin Müller-Stahl
Armin Mueller-Stahl, ein beeindruckender Zeitzeuge, ein Ausnahmetalent, ein Mensch, der einen Raum füllt, wenn er ihn betritt. Welch‘ Geschenk, ihn heute inmitten seiner Werke in der Kunsthalle St. Annen erlebt haben zu dürfen. En passant wird für mich heute ein Stück Kulturgeschichte erlebbar. Armin Mueller-Stahl hat viele prägende Größen des Filmgeschäfts und der Literatur, der Kunst und der Musik erlebt, mit ihnen gearbeitet, Freundschaften gepflegt.
In der für das Publikum ab dem 16. Juni geöffneten Ausstellung werden Mueller-Stahls Gemälden, Zeichnungen und Druckgrafiken Filmsequenzen und Szenenfotos gegenübergestellt, die deutlich machen, dass sein schauspielerisches und malerisches Schaffen stets eine Symbiose eingehen und seine unterschiedlichen künstlerischen Aktivitäten einander gegenseitig beeinflussen. Die rund 140 Bilder der Ausstellung wurden gemeinsam mit dem Künstler ausgewählt.
From east to west
This creates a fascinating arc. The thematic section "From East to West," for example, addresses the central theme in Mueller-Stahl's biography: the formative experience of the former GDR regime and its impact on everyday life.
Goethe's UrFaust
Goethe's "Urfaust" provided him with inspiration in 2003. These works demonstrate the depth of the artist's engagement with existential questions and the individual's search for meaning within a broader social and philosophical context.
Hollywood
In the room "Night on Earth – Day on Earth," the individual works and series of paintings on display often have a direct connection to Mueller-Stahl's work as a Hollywood actor. He still enjoys spending time in California, holds American citizenship, and lives in Pacific Palisades—Thomas Mann's refuge during his years of exile.
However, Mueller-Stahl's work has always also involved an engagement with contemporary issues such as culture, science, and politics. He is particularly moved by the situation of people forced to flee or migrate.
International understanding
The theme of international understanding is very close to his heart – at a time when a division in society is becoming palpable and attacks on synagogues and Jewish institutions are increasing. His most recent series of works, "Jewish Fates, Friends and Companions," created in 2020, features portraits that are being shown to the public in this form for the first time.
This part of the exhibition impresses me personally in a very special way.
Mueller-Stahl has portrayed 90 Jewish people, including Billy Wilder, Franz Kafka, Paul Celan, Helene Weigel, Isaac Stern, Jurek Becker and Kurt Maetzig.
All the personalities portrayed by the artist, though some not widely known, have shaped the world in their own way. Often, there are close connections to Lübeck. One example is the portrait of Eric M. Warburg, who, along with his cousin Carl Jacob Burckhardt, worked to ensure that Lübeck was spared further bombing after the attack in March 1942. Or the portrait of the Lübeck rabbi, teacher, and author Salomon Carlebach, during whose tenure the Lübeck Synagogue was completed. I am deeply moved to discover this work directly opposite the window overlooking "his" synagogue. I could spend hours in this part of the exhibition, listening to the incredibly detailed and insightful stories the artist tells about the people he portrays—a veritable firework display of names, dates, and facts. “Ah yes, the amber…” “At Schönberg’s daughter-in-law Barbara’s house, there was always Sachertorte and schnitzel…” “Gershwin and Schönberg were connected by their love of tennis…” Incidentally, the exhibition visitors also get to enjoy this – indirectly – as Mueller-Stahl shares many memories in an accompanying film shown in the exhibition.
Salomon Carlebach, patriarch of one of the most respected rabbinical families in Germany 
View towards the Lübeck Synagogue
"Music is the foundation of everything."
Armin Mueller-Stahl
When asked which art form he prefers in his artistic work, he replies that for him, music is clearly the foundation of everything. It's an art form that can be grasped most quickly and always touches people, since everyone associates memories with music and, for example, still remembers exactly which song was playing when they first fell in love.
So verwundert es kein bisschen zu hören, dass er gern vor seinen Werken Geige oder Klavier spielt und dass viele seiner Werke beim Hören passender Musikstücke entstanden sind. Und auch aktuell hört Mueller-Stahl Jazz während er Größen des Jazz malt. Ich hoffe, dass auch die derzeit entstehenden Werke bald gezeigt werden und uns dieses Multitalent noch lange erhalten bleibt. Einstweilen freue ich mich über die vielen Assoziationen, die der Besuch der Ausstellung in mir geweckt hat. Bis zum 24. Oktober 2021 erwartet dich ein wirkliches Highlight dieses Sommers.
P.S. Hast du das Interview mit Armin Mueller-Stahl schon gehört?