--- title: "Five questions about the “Perfect Lives” by Lili Reynaud-Dewar" date: 2026-04-16 last_modified: 2026-05-06T16:37:59+02:00 generated_at: 2026-05-07T15:51:53Z url: "https://www.schirn.de/en/schirnmag/5-fragen-an-das-perfekte-leben/" description: "Happy Birthday, SCHIRN! To mark the 40th anniversary of the gallery’s foundation, artist Lili Reynaud-Dewar has written a book that creates a dialog between the life of the SCHIRN and her own biography. Director Sebastian Baden and curator Matthias Ulrich reveal what makes this artistic biopic so special." image: "https://www.schirn.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Schutzhuelle-Perfekte-Leben_Screenshot-210.jpg" language: "en-US" --- # Five questions about the “Perfect Lives” by Lili Reynaud-Dewar # Five questions about the “Perfect Lives” by Lili Reynaud-Dewar ![](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2024-portrait-sebastianbaden-final-web-02.jpg) ![Graphic titled "Perfect Lives" by Lili Reynaud-Dewar, featuring photographs and an exhibition at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Schutzhuelle-Perfekte-Leben_Screenshot-210.jpg) ![](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-portrait-matthiasulrich-final-web-01-e1736783045647.jpg) 1 min reading time Happy Birthday, SCHIRN! To mark the 40th anniversary of the gallery’s foundation, artist Lili Reynaud-Dewar has written a book that creates a dialog between the life of the SCHIRN and her own biography. Director Sebastian Baden and curator Matthias Ulrich reveal what makes this artistic biopic so special. 1\. Forty years of the SCHIRN – what a great reason to celebrate! Usually, such occasions are marked by publications that look back at the institution’s key milestones and therefore double up as calling cards. What makes Lili Reynaud-Dewar’s “Perfect Lives” different, and how did the idea come about? SEBASTIAN BADEN On the occasion of our 40th anniversary, we wanted to bring out an unconventional book that tells the SCHIRN story from a personal but outside perspective. Most publications that appear to mark birthdays read more like hagiographies, with all the effusive self-glorification you would expect, but in our case the SCHIRN building is being modernized with a facelift after 40 years, which is simply perfect. These thoughts of a renewal, in the sense of an institution-critical look back, were something we wanted to convey with a book. The book as-is has the feel of an autobiographical novel associated with the history of an artist, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, and the result is an exciting read that moves between cultural policy, coming of age, star cult, and art criticism. ![Model of a city with historic architecture and modern buildings, featuring a central church tower in the background.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/23-1980-MAQUETTE-DU-PROJET-EN-1980.jpg) ![Black-and-white portrait of a young person with short hair and a serious expression, in a neutral pose.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/02-1997-LILI-CHEVEUX-COURTS.jpg) 2\. The research and organizational effort for the book was no doubt immense. What was the actual process like? matthias ulrich Well, we first thought about which individuals both inside and outside the SCHIRN were of relevance to its biography and spread these across the 40-year timeline. We then arranged the interviews, which Lili conducted on her own, either in Frankfurt or over the phone. Right at the beginning of the project, when she was here in Frankfurt to discuss the approach with me, she would occasionally pop by the office of various colleagues of mine and chat with them. This beginning to the project ran under the heading of “Ghost in the SCHIRN.” Lili then researched innumerable events in addition to the 400-plus exhibition openings, above all in the context of national and local culture and politics, by going through the major German dailies. She finished up by sifting through the SCHIRN picture archive from the early days, which documents the predigital era in the form of both Ektachromes (photographic films from which slides were then made) and the digital image archive. Her efforts resulted in 200 illustrations and about 500 pages of text, of which around half refer to the SCHIRN. The other half is devoted to Lili Reynaud-Dewar’s own history, which she approached in a similar manner: interviews with contemporary witnesses, French politics, time spent with friends and family hunting down photos, etc. It was indeed a relatively arduous process, which, if I remember rightly, started back in October 2024. ![Black-and-white image of the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt with visitors in the entrance area and opening hours.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/15-Page1-cahier-2_SCHIRN-plakat.jpg) ![Two men in suits sit at a table discussing, surrounded by flowers and papers. Black and white photograph.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/16-1977-WALTER-WALLMANN-HILMAR-HOFFMAN.jpg) ![A person stands with a camera and a cigarette in their mouth in front of a landscape under a blue sky with clouds.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/08-_DSC4154_web.jpg) 3\. On the [jubilee weekend](https://www.schirn.de/en/schirnmag/40-jahre-schirn-ein-wochenende-fuer-alle/), we will be treated not only to the book’s release but also to a performance by the artist herself. And the collaboration doesn’t end there – so to what extent is the publication a completed project or more part of a larger, ongoing undertaking? sebastian baden Exactly, the collaboration with Lili is unfolding over several acts, as it were. After the release, she will first of all present the book to the audience on May 9 in the form of a performative reading with the German voice of Anna Böger. Lili is renowned for her dance-based performances that are filmed before being included in exhibitions. In our case, she will rely on a format that she describes in the book as an important part of her artistic and curatorial practice – namely the evening exhibitions in the studio known as *Maladie d’amour* (lovesickness). These involve a reading or lecture in the small setting of the studio that always attracts friends and acquaintances. On the occasion of our jubilee celebrations, we will take a similar approach with the artist and the audience presenting from the book – but that by no means brings the collaboration to an end. MATTHIAS ULRICH The publication also serves as the basis and an archive of an exhibition project that we imagine will mark the reopening of the SCHIRN downtown on Römer. While the customary exhibition spaces are still closed, Lili will perform in them and shoot videos of the performances so that we will see how past and present flow into each other. Like the book, this exhibition may also create new starting points or at least a moment of silence in which the past can be recapitulated and continued anew. ![Exhibition hall with many trophies under modern ceiling lights, in black and white.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/16-200900704sr018_web.jpg) ![Woman in leather pants and denim jacket standing on a building holding a book, urban backdrop in the background.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/38-P1060372.jpg) 4\. Is there a particular place in the book that especially touched or surprised you? If so, which? SEBASTIAN BADEN There are many places in the book that describe changes and ruptures; an institution like the SCHIRN thrives not on continuity but on challenges and upheaval. As is the case in art, it is irritants that make the work so enjoyable. I was particularly impressed by a specific bit of data: In the 1980s the City of Frankfurt invested up to 11% of its budget in culture – now that is a clear signal, time to emulate it! From a personal perspective, I found it particularly interesting to read how Lili has paved her way as an artist. I find this process of self-realization fascinating – among other things, because it shows how resilience develops. MATTHIAS ULRICH Biographies are also always a mirror in which your own life is reflected and seen from a distance, and in my case I recognize myself and my social setting in many places in Lili’s biography – the music she listened to, the books she read, the drugs she took. At one point, she describes how in Marseille she opens the door to a bar and with a swift movement of her arm whisks her wig from her shaved head before she makes it to the counter. This film-like scene seems to me to be highly expressive and telling about her permanent struggle for belonging, her efforts to distinguish herself from others – presumably a widespread stance in biographies of careers that, from the outside, are often wrongly viewed as particularly radical, if only because that which does not conform or belong is perceived to be weaker if existent at all. As regards the history of the SCHIRN, what also moves me is the constant importance of the building and the ongoing discussion of its topographical and architectural identity, which still persists even in a phase such as the greatest transformation to date – namely the temporary closure of the SCHIRN on the Römer downtown and the related interim location in Bockenheim. Perhaps this inconstancy, this permanent exploration of the building, of the external appearance, is more strongly part of the SCHIRN’s DNA than hitherto suspected. 5\. In three words: How would you described the “perfect lives” in the SCHIRN after reading the biopic? SEBASTIAN BADEN The SCHIRN has a biography curated in all manner of ways. Its life is progressive and nevertheless full of sensitivity and spontaneity! MATTHIAS ULRICH After reading the book, one could summarize SCHIRN life with the words “energy-charged,” “popular,” and “glamorous.” ![A contemplative person in a café, surrounded by drinks and people in the background. Black-and-white aesthetic.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/15-Scan-Lili-11-2000.jpg) ![Ceremonial event with an audience on horseback, balloons, and a speaker on stage in a modern space.](https://www.schirn.de/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/01-Abschied_Hollein-192.jpg)