Paula Modersohn-Becker, however, was an exception. Largely overlooked during her lifetime, she worked independently and unconventionally, and is now regarded as a pioneer of modernism and expressionism. To mark the 150th anniversary of her birth, the film Who Knows What Life Is? retells her story, offering a feminist and uncompromising perspective with relevance to the present day. Her struggle for artistic freedom and self-determination is just as relevant today as it was 150 years ago.
Be brave, be yourself. One hundred and fifty years after her death, the work of Paula Modersohn-Becker and her message for the arts and society remain as relevant today as they were in her lifetime. One of Paula Modersohn-Becker's paintings has travelled from Bremen to MoMA in New York. How? Thanks to the tireless efforts of art historian Diane Radycki, who campaigned to raise the profile of Modersohn-Becker's work. It was only in 2017, with the #MeToo movement, that the museum recognised its years of bias against female artists. This is all the more remarkable given that Paula Modersohn-Becker was the first female painter to have a museum dedicated to her work in the early 20^(th) century. So why did it take so long for her to gain international recognition? What path did her art have to take after her death? And why, even today, more than a century later, are women still not treated as equals in the art world?
