Robby Müller: Master of Light

In July, the Museum für Film und Fernsehen opens the exhibition Robby Müller: Master of Light, turning its attention to one of the most important and most influential cinematographers in international cinema. Whether his lens is focused on Björk dancing in a factory building, Johnny Depp drifting out to sea in a canoe, or the beautiful Nastassja Kinski wearing a bright pink jumper, Müller is the cameraman who created great cinematographic shots in modern classics such as Dancer in the Dark, Dead Man and Paris, Texas. Influences from Edward Hopper appear in his work, while his use of light recalls paintings by Vermeer. The Dutch cameraman Robby Müller is undeniably a virtuoso and master of his craft.

In the exhibition large-scale projections of selected movie scenes  provide an impression of Müller’s visual acumen and the complexity of his works. Interviews with a number of directors—including Wim Wenders, Lars von Trier and Jim Jarmusch—attest to Müller’s outstanding abilities as a cameraman. His private archive also enriches the exhibition in an unusual way: These glimpses into documents and scripts, but especially dozens of film recordings, describe Müller’s life on set as if in a diary. At its conclusion, the exhibition presents a selection of Polaroid photographs taken by Müller, which, in an entirely different context, reveal him to be a “Master of Light” once more.

The exhibition was originally organized and conceived by the EYE Filmmuseum, Amsterdam.

The exhibition is accompanied by a film series, running from August 4–17.

Film series
At Kino Arsenal–Institute for Film and Video Art

Der Amerikanische Freund
August 4, 7:30pm
 
Dead Man
August 5, 8pm

Paris, Texas
August 8, 7:30pm

Die Gläserne Zelle
August 11, 8pm 

Barfly
August 15, 8pm

Breaking the Waves
August 17, 7:30pm