Film Screening

Alma & Oskar

Jun 23, 2025, 10:30 PM

Widowed socialite Alma Mahler enters into an affair with controversial artist Oskar Kokoschka in 1912 Vienna. Their intense passion spirals, jeopardizing their lives.

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Directed by Dieter Berner (2022)
German; English subtitles. 88 min.

The recently widowed Alma Mahler, grande dame of Viennese society, seduces the enfant terrible of Vienna’s art scene, the young painter Oskar Kokoschka. What started as a sexual adventure quickly turns into an intense affair. Oskar views Alma as his muse, which serves more his male fantasy than reality. Alma herself is also an artist — a composer. Oskar’s obsession with making this woman his own puts her dream of becoming successful in danger. A game of power and dependency emerges that leads both Alma and Oskar to the brink of self-destruction.

This screening is presented as part of the Summer 2025 Filmbar Series, “Burning Passions: Love and Creativity.” Inspired by works from the museum’s collection, the Neue Galerie presents a series of films exploring the intersection of art, passion, and personal turmoil, bringing to life the intense, often complicated relationship between some of the most influential artists and thinkers in history.