For full biography, download PDF
1945
Born in Düsseldorf, Germany
Lives and works in Los Angeles and Berlin
CHRONOLOGY
1991 to date
Appointed Chairman and later President of the European Film Academy
1984
Elected member of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin
1978
Moved to America, returning to Europe in 1984
1976
Founded his own production company Road Movies
1970
Graduated from the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film with his first feature film, Summer in the City
1967-70
Returned to Germany and entered the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film (Graduate School of Film and Television), Munich. Also worked as film critic for FilmKritik and Süddeutsche Zeitung
1966
Moved to Paris to study painting and work as an engraver
1963-65
Studied medicine and philosophy (1964-65) in Munich, Freiburg and Düsseldorf
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006
Wim Wenders: Immagini dal pianeta terra, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, Italy
Journey to Onomichi – Photos by Wim and Donata Wenders, Omotesando Hills, Tokyo, Japan
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, images from touring exhibition, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Dark Places, curated by Joshua Decter, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
2005
The Forest: Politics, Poetics, and Practice, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC
Through the Lens, group exhibition, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2004-05
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Århus
C, Denmark
2004
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, Australia and Japan, James Cohan
Gallery, New York, NY
Between The Lines, group exhibition, James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY
Images of Time and Place: Contemporary Views of Landscape, group exhibition, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
Wim Wenders, Galleria Marabini, Bologna, Italy
Through the Lens: Eight Photographers, group exhibition, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland.
2003
Wim Wenders, James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY
Wim Wenders, Galerie Judin Belot, Zurich, Switzerland
2000-04
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, touring exhibition: Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2001), Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (2002), Haunch of Venison, London (2003); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2003); City Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand; Millennium
Art Museum, Beijing, China; Shanghai Museum of Art, Shanghai, China;
Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China (2004)
2000
Buena Vista Social Club, Rose Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA
1996
Wim Wenders: Landscape and Memory, Gallery of Contemporary Photography, Santa Monica
Wim Wenders: Photos, in conjunction with the publication, Wim Wenders: Photos, Munich Goethe Institute (1996), Goethe Institutes worldwide
1995
Wim Wenders: Landscape and Memory, Gallery of Contemporary Photography, Santa Monica, CA
1993-95
Wim Wenders Photo Exhibition, in conjunction with the publication, Once, Munich: Schirmer/ Mosel (2001), touring exhibition: Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (1993); Villa delle Rose, Bologna (1994); FNAC, Paris (1994); Parco, Tokyo (1994); FNAC, Berlin (1995); Villa Rufolo, Ravello (1995)
1989-94
Wim Wenders Photographs, touring exhibition: Galerie F. C Gundlach, Hamburg (1989); Galerie Marie-Louise Wirth, Zürich (1990); Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film, Munich (1991); Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles (1991); Shibuya Seibu Dept. Store, Tokyo (1992); Kiyomizu
1989-94
Temple, Kyoto (1992); Musée de L'Elysée, Lausanne (1992); Amerika Haus, Berlin (1992); Venice Biennale (1993); Louisiana Museum of
Modern Art, Humlebaek (1993); Sala Parpallo Palau Dels Scala, Valencia (1994); San Telmo Museum, San Sebastian (1994)
1986-92
Written in the West, in conjunction with the publication, Written in the West, Munich: Schirmer/Mosel (1987), touring exhibition: Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (1986); Encontros de Fotografia, Coimbra (1987); Palazzo della Triennale di Milano (1988); Film Society of Miami (1988); Goethe Institut, Stockholm (1988); Goethe Institut, Copenhagen (1988); Saint-Yrieix-La-Perche (1990); Städtische Galerie Schwarzes Kloster, Freiburg (Breisgau) (1992)
FILMOGRAPHY
Full-length fictional feature films directed by Wim Wenders:
2006 Don't Come Knocking
2004 The Land of Plenty
2000 The Million Dollar Hotel
1997 The End of Violence
1996 A Trick of the Light
1995 Beyond the Clouds (with Michelangelo Antonioni)
1994 Lisbon Story
1993 Faraway, So Close!
1991 Until the End of the World
1987 Wings of Desire
1984 Paris, Texas
1982 The State of Things
Hammett
1977 The American Friend
1975 Kings of the Road
1974 Wrong Move
1973 Alice in the Cities
1972 The Scarlet Letter
1971 The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty
1970 Summer in the City
DOCUMENTARIES AND SHORT FILMS
2002 Ode to Cologne
Twelve Miles from Trona
1999 The Buena Vista Social Club
1998 Willie Nelson at the Teatro
1992 Arisha, the Bear and the Stone Ring
1989 Notebook on Cities and Clothes
1985 Tokyo-Ga
1982 Reverse Angle
Chambre 666
1980 Lightning Over Water
1974 The Island / From the Family of Reptiles
1969 Alabama: 2000 Light Years from Home
3 American LP's
1968 Silver City
Polizeifilm
1967 Schauplätze
Same Player Shoots Again
SELECTED AWARDS
2000 The Million Dollar Hotel
Berlin Film Festival: 'Silver Bear' Jury Prize
1998 Buena Vista Social Club
European Film Award: Best Documentary; New York Film Critics: Best Documentary
Los Angeles Film Critics: Best Documentary
Edinburgh International Film Festival: Standard Life Audience Award
National Board of Review: Best Documentary
Academy Award Nominee, Best Documentary
1997 The End of Violence
German Film Prize: 'Gold Director's Prize'
1993 Far Away, So Close!
'Grand Jury Prize', Cannes
1987 Wings of Desire
Cannes (Official Competition): Best Director
European Film Prize: Best Director
Los Angeles Film Critics Award: Best Foreign Film & Photography
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Photography
1984 Paris, Texas
'Golden Palm', Cannes Film Festival
British Academy Awards: Best Director
1982 The State of Things
'Golden Lion' and 'Fipresci Prize', Venice
1977 The American Friend
German Film Prize, gold: Best Director and Best Editing
German Film Prize, silver: Production
1976 Kings of the Road
'Golden Hugo', Chicago
1975 Wrong Move
German Film Prize: Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography
1971 The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty
'Prize of the Film Critics', Venice
SELECTED HONOURS
2006 Received Miami International Film Festival Career Achievement Tribute
2001 Professor at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste (School of Fine Arts),
Hamburg
1991 to date Made Chairman of the European Film Academy, subsequently elected
President
1995 Received Honorary Doctorate in divinity from the theological faculty of
Fribourg University, Switzerland
1993 Made Honorary Professor at the HFF (Academy of Film and Television) in
Munich
1991 Received the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Award, Bielefeld
1989 Received Honorary Doctorate from the Sorbonne University, Paris
BOOKS BY WIM WENDERS
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, photographs by Wim Wenders, Munich: Schirmer/Mosel (2003)
On Film, A volume that combines Emotion Pictures, The Logic of Images and The Act of Seeing, London: Faber & Faber (2001)
The Heart is a Sleeping Beauty, The Million Dollar Hotel - A Film Book, Munich: Schirmer/Mosel (2000)
Buena Vista Social Club, The Companion Book to the Film, Munich: Schirmer/Mosel (1999); London: Thames & Hudson (2000)
Wim Wenders: Photos, Munich: Goethe Institut (1996); Heidelberg: Edition Braus (1996)
My Time with Antonioni, The Diary of an Extraordinary Experience, Rome: Edizioni Socrates (1995); Frankfurt am Main: Verlag Autoren (1995); London: Faber & Faber (2000)
Once, Rome: Edizioni Socrates (1993); Frankfurt am Main: Verlag der Autoren (1994); Tokyo: Parco co. (1994); Munich: Schirmer/ Mosel (2001)
Electronic Paintings, Rome: Edizioni Socrates (1993)
The Act of Seeing, Frankfurt am Main: Verlag der Autoren (1992); Milan: Ubulibri (1992); London: Faber & Faber (1997); USA: Faber Inc. (1997)
The Logic of Images, Frankfurt am Main: Verlag der Autoren (1988); London: Faber & Faber (1991); USA: Faber Inc. (1991); Copenhagen: Raevens Sorte Bibliotek (1991); Taiwan: Bardon Chinese Media Agency (1993)
Written in the West, Munich: Schirmer/Mosel (1987); Milan: Editoriale Jaca Book (1988)
Emotion Pictures, Frankfurt am Main:Verlag der Autoren (1986); Lisbon: Edicoes 70 (1989); London: Faber & Faber (1992), USA: Faber Inc. (1992)
Tokyo-Ga, Frankfurt am Main: Verlag der Autoren (1985); Berlin: Galrev – Verlag (1986)
CATALOGUES
Wim Wenders: Pictures from the Surface of the Earth, Schirmer Art Books
Wim Wenders: Immagini dal pianeta terra, Scuderie dal Quirinale, Contrasto, July 2006
ARTICLES/REVIEWS
"Wim Wenders: Immagini dal pianeta terra," Scuderie del Quirinale, July 14, 2006
"The Hills are alive with the sound of memories," asahi.com, May 12, 2006
Goldberg, Melissa, "Wim Wenders," Flaunt Magazine
Wenders, Wim, "Living is Easy with Eyes Closed…" C International Photo Magazine, No. 1,
2005
Olivares, Rosa, ed, "La Habana", Exit , No. 17, 2005 (images only)
Gallegos, Carina and Marisol Martell, "Art Basel Miami Beach 2005," ArtNexus, No. 56,
Vol. 3, 2005
Opinion, Jess, "Exhibit Explores Sparce Spaces," The Johns Hopkins News-Letter,
February 4, 2005
Rexer, Lyle, "Wim Wenders: Pictures from the Surface of the Earth: Australia and Japan
at James Cohan Gallery", Art on Paper, January/February 2005, p. 77.
"Portfolio Wim Wenders", Planet, Spring 2004, p. 8, pp. 48-49
Genocchio, Benjamin, "More Than Just a Pretty Scene", The New York Times, Sunday, March 14, 2004
Leffingwell, Edward, "Wim Wenders at James Cohan", Art in America, March 2004,
pp.123-124
Goldberg, Vicki, "Wim Wenders and the Landscape of Desire", The New York Times,
Sunday, November 30, 2003
"Photography: the Big Picture", New York Magazine, November 10, 2003
Sommereyns, Oscar, "Wim Wenders and the Road Not Taken", The Miami Hurricane,
Live & Art, August 29, 2003
Pinsent, Richard, "The Frozen Frame", The Art Newspaper, April 2003, p. 27
Hubbard, Sue, "What the Nomad Saw", Art Review, March 2003, p. 25
Gavin, Francesca, "Silence is Golden", The Big Issue, March 10, 2003, pp. 22-24
Irving, Mark, "Moving Images", The Independent on Sunday: Sunday Review, March 2, 2003, pp. 16-20
Irving, Mark, "Wim and Vigour", Financial Times: Weekend, February 22, 2003, p. 7
Hernández Cava, Felipe, "¡Qué verdadero, qué existente!", in Exit, No. 3, 2001 (pp. 60-67)