Duerers Heritage

This documentary delves into the new German realism that emerged from the Leipzig School. It examines the impact of socialist-realist dogma in the GDR before the Berlin Wall's construction in 1961. After the Wall fell in 1989, the film investigates the fates of prominent Leipzig School painters like Werner Tübke and Bernhard Heisig, once labeled 'Dürer’s red heirs' by West German journalists.

Through interviews with Tübke, Heisig, and officials from the former GDR, the documentary provides a critical perspective on the complexities of modernism, conformism, and the pressures of political life in East Germany. The film captures the nuances of a cultural scene that has largely faded from memory, offering valuable insights into early East German art history.