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.

Related Categories

Photography

Related Artists

Arnold Fanck

Leni Riefenstahl Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Leni Riefenstahl (532 results)
Am Barren, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Am Barren, 1936

Sale Date: June 29, 2006

Auction Closed

Majorie Gestring, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Majorie Gestring, 1936

Sale Date: June 29, 2006

Auction Closed

Im Stadion, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Im Stadion, 1936

Sale Date: June 29, 2006

Auction Closed

Das Fest der deutschen Schule (Berlin), 1933

Leni Riefenstahl

Das Fest der deutschen Schule (Berlin), 1933

Sale Date: May 31, 2006

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Deutsche Frauen Gymnastik, Berlin, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Deutsche Frauen Gymnastik, Berlin, 1936

Sale Date: May 23, 2006

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Saut en longueur, Berlin, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Saut en longueur, Berlin, 1936

Sale Date: May 23, 2006

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Säulen der Akropolis, Athènes, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Säulen der Akropolis, Athènes, 1936

Sale Date: May 23, 2006

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Akropolis, Athènes, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Akropolis, Athènes, 1936

Sale Date: May 23, 2006

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Der Turmspringer, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Der Turmspringer, 1936

Sale Date: May 26, 2006

Auction Closed

Umjubelt, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Umjubelt, 1936

Sale Date: May 9, 2006

Auction Closed

Der Turmspringer, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Der Turmspringer, 1936

Sale Date: April 29, 2006

Auction Closed

Die Siegerin, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Die Siegerin, 1936

Sale Date: April 29, 2006

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Sportlerinnen der Olympischen Spiele 1936, 1950

Leni Riefenstahl

Sportlerinnen der Olympischen Spiele 1936, 1950

Sale Date: April 27, 2006

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Cameraman in profile, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Cameraman in profile, 1936

Sale Date: April 26, 2006

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Nuba (2 works), 1960–1969

Leni Riefenstahl

Nuba (2 works), 1960–1969

Sale Date: March 22, 2006

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Olympics (2 works), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Olympics (2 works), 1936

Sale Date: March 22, 2006

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Leni Riefenstahl and Beni Führer behind the..., 1932

Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl and Beni Führer behind the..., 1932

Sale Date: December 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Hürdenlauf, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Hürdenlauf, 1936

Sale Date: November 24, 2005

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Der Diskuswerfer (Glenn Morris), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Der Diskuswerfer (Glenn Morris), 1936

Sale Date: November 24, 2005

Auction Closed

Olympic album (album of 33), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Olympic album (album of 33), 1936

Sale Date: October 10, 2005

Auction Closed

Camera work portfolio (portfolio of 15), 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Camera work portfolio (portfolio of 15), 1936

Sale Date: October 10, 2005

Auction Closed

Portrait of a young Nuba woman, Jamila, 2001

Leni Riefenstahl

Portrait of a young Nuba woman, Jamila, 2001

Sale Date: June 6, 2005

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Schönheit im Olympischen Kampf (bk w/280..., 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Schönheit im Olympischen Kampf (bk w/280..., 1936

Sale Date: May 17, 2005

Auction Closed

Sportler der Olympischen Spiele, 1936

Leni Riefenstahl

Sportler der Olympischen Spiele, 1936

Sale Date: April 22, 2005

Auction Closed

English (US)

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