Descendant

Lars von Trier has radically reinvented the art of film since the 1980s. With films and television series such as The Kingdom (1994–1997), The Idiots (1998), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2003), Melancholia (2011) and Nymphomaniac (2013–2014), he has challenged conventions and genres alike, combining artistic experimentation with broad popular appeal. From an early age, Trier has found inspiration in art, building a visual arsenal – an artistic ‘family’ – that has nourished his films. Descendant presents a wide-ranging selection of works that have held a particular fascination for him, and to which he has returned again and again. The artists featured range from August Strindberg, Carl Fredrik Hill, Edvard Munch and Vilhelm Hammershøi to Per Kirkeby. Featuring texts by Karl Ove Knausgård, Lilian Munk Rösing, Erik Steffensen, Annette Rosenvold Hvidt and Anne Gregersen, as well as Lars von Trier himself, the book explores the deep affinities between Trier’s cinematic world and the great Nordic artists he has long regarded as kindred spirits. Descendant offers unique insight into the art that has inspired and shaped one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.