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Tate Modern Film

Rebecca Horn: La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa

8 May 2016 at 18.00–19.30
Three men in suits sit at a white clothed table with a red haired woman wearing a red suit sat in between them. They appear to be talking and there are many empty wine glasses on the table. The table is in front of a mirrored screen.

Rebecca HornLa Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa 1981film still

© Rebecca Horn

Join us for a screening of Rebecca Horn’s feature film La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa

Three men in suits sit at a white clothed table with a red haired woman wearing a red suit sat in between them. They appear to be talking and there are many empty wine glasses on the table. The table is in front of a mirrored screen.

Rebecca Horn Still from La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa 1981

Black and white interior shot photograph with a collection of white feathers span out like a peacock at its centre

​Rebecca Horn La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa 1981 film still

La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa (La Ferdinanda: Sonate fur Eine Medici-Villa)

Federal Republic of Germany 1981, 35mm transferred to video, sound, 90 min, German with English subtitles

La Ferdinanda: Sonata for a Medici Villa (La Ferdinanda: Sonate fur Eine Medici-Villa) 1981 is staged in a grand Renaissance hunting seat. The setting serves as a haven for tranquil repose (for Caterina de Dominicis, former opera singer and owner of the villa), convalescence (for young ballet dancer Simona), hiding (for Dr. Marchetti, after a series of scandals), rehearsal (for the cello player) and celebration (for a wedding party). The villa is a symbol for hidden stories and faded glories, especially for its larger-than-life owner, who wishes to maintain an illusion of luxury and grandeur. In truth, the villa’s residents are all living in a state of suspension or impotence: even the peacocks’ plumage is not strikingly colourful but a ghostly white. 

Tate Modern

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Date & Time

8 May 2016 at 18.00–19.30

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  • Artist

    Rebecca Horn

    1944–2024
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