Leni Riefenstahl

(German, 1902–2003)

Leni Riefenstahl was a German actress and director known for her Nazi propaganda films Triumph of the Will (1935) and Olympia (1938). The controversial nature of her relationship with Adolf Hitler cast a long shadow over the career. Despite this, Riefenstahl’s work remains a premier example of pioneering cinematography techniques, including tracking shots and slow motion. “Where is my guilt? I can regret. I can regret that I made the party film, Triumph of the Will, in 1934. But I cannot regret that I lived in that time,” she once explained. “No anti-Semitic word has ever crossed my lips. I was never anti-Semitic. I did not join the party.” Born Helene Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl on August 22, 1902 in Berlin, Germany, she pursued dancing as child, going on to perform interpretive dance around Germany as a young woman. A foot injury led Riefenstahl to end her dancing career and she began acting in mid-1920s. She famously starred in the successful G.W. Pabst film The White Hell of Piz Palü (1929). Transitioning from acting to directing, she was introduced to the Führer during the early 1930s. Smitten with the young filmmaker, Hitler offered her the rare opportunity to direct films for the Nazi party. After World War II, Reifenstahl was the subject of four denazification proceedings, which found her to be an active Nazi sympathizer, though innocent of any war crimes. During the latter half of her career, the artist spent much of her time in Africa, documenting the indigenous Nuba tribe in Sudan in a series of striking color photographs. She died at the age of 101 on September 8, 2002 in Pöckling, Germany.

Leni Riefenstahl Artworks

Leni Riefenstahl (532 results)

Nuba (portfolio of 30 works), 2002

Leni Riefenstahl

Nuba (portfolio of 30 works), 2002

Sale Date: May 19, 2011

Auction Closed

Die Siegerin, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Die Siegerin, 1936

Sale Date: December 2, 2010

Auction Closed

Im Stadion

Leni Riefenstahl

Sale Date: December 2, 2010

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Wasserball, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Wasserball, 1936

Sale Date: December 2, 2010

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Nuba Mann, 1975

Leni Riefenstahl

Nuba Mann, 1975

Sale Date: December 2, 2010

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Kampf in Schnee und Eis (bk w/ 155 works, 8vo), 1933

Leni Riefenstahl

Kampf in Schnee und Eis (bk w/ 155 works, 8vo), 1933

Sale Date: June 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Freiübungen der amerikanischen Turnerinnen, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Freiübungen der amerikanischen Turnerinnen, 1936

Sale Date: May 31, 2010

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Ohne Titel (Logesschule), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Ohne Titel (Logesschule), 1936

Sale Date: May 31, 2010

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Ohne Titel (Schwimmerinnen), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Ohne Titel (Schwimmerinnen), 1936

Sale Date: May 31, 2010

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The Olympic Games, Berlin (5 works), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

The Olympic Games, Berlin (5 works), 1936

Sale Date: June 9, 2010

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Swimming competitions, Olympic Games, Berlin , 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Swimming competitions, Olympic Games, Berlin , 1936

Sale Date: June 9, 2010

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High jump competition, Olympic Games, Berlin, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

High jump competition, Olympic Games, Berlin, 1936

Sale Date: June 9, 2010

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110 m Hurdles-Final, the Winner Towns-USA in , 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

110 m Hurdles-Final, the Winner Towns-USA in , 1936

Sale Date: June 9, 2010

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Long jump, Olympic Games, Berlin, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Long jump, Olympic Games, Berlin, 1936

Sale Date: June 9, 2010

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Speerwerfer, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Speerwerfer, 1936

Sale Date: May 19, 2010

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Olympische Ringe, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Olympische Ringe, 1936

Sale Date: May 19, 2010

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Die Fackel wird entzündet, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Die Fackel wird entzündet, 1936

Sale Date: May 19, 2010

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Mask, 1975–1976

Leni Riefenstahl

Mask, 1975–1976

Sale Date: May 20, 2010

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Untitled, leopard spots, from Nuba, 1970

Leni Riefenstahl

Untitled, leopard spots, from Nuba, 1970

Sale Date: May 15, 2010

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Nuba from the Masakin-Qisar tribe, Sudan, 1962–1969

Leni Riefenstahl

Nuba from the Masakin-Qisar tribe, Sudan, 1962–1969

Sale Date: May 15, 2010

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Tauromachie (2 works), 1943

Leni Riefenstahl

Tauromachie (2 works), 1943

Sale Date: May 5, 2010

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Discus thrower, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Discus thrower, 1936

Sale Date: April 18, 2009

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Torch bearer, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Torch bearer, 1936

Sale Date: April 18, 2009

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En compagnie de quatre petites Gitanes dans..., 1944

Leni Riefenstahl

En compagnie de quatre petites Gitanes dans..., 1944

Sale Date: December 10, 2009

Auction Closed

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