Author Elisa von Hof presents her new book »Unsichtbare Musen – Frauen, die unsere Welt veränderten«, in conversation with moderator Annika Prigge (Verlag Klett-Cotta, 2026).
This book changes our understanding of art and culture.
What would have become of the famous painters, writers, composers, and pop stars if there had been no one there to inspire, comfort, correct, manage, or love them? From the ancient goddesses of inspiration to Christiane Vulpius, Sofja Tolstaya, Gala Dalí, Véra Nabokov, Lee Krasner, Uma Thurman, and many others, Elisa von Hof tells the stories of the women who shape our art and culture, yet receive little recognition or visibility.
Who do we think of when we hear the word “muse”? Perhaps a beautiful, young woman reclining half-naked on a chaise longue while a man paints or photographs her? That would hardly be surprising. The image of the reclining muse has been etched into our collective memory through the paintings of Titian, Manet, Matisse, and many others. She serves the genius artist as model, lover, and projection surface. Yet she has so many more jobs to do. Although it may seem very familiar, the idea of the male genius who creates entirely on his own is actually not that old. It systematically reduced the women — and the occasional man — in the artist’s orbit to decorative accessories, and this idea continues to shape our thinking today. Elisa von Hof looks behind the scenes, challenges our ideas about art and culture, and puts the spotlight on those who may not appear in the program, but who did the work and often suffered as well.
Admission: €12 | €8
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Author
Elisa von Hof, born in 1991, studied history and German literature in Berlin. After working in various positions, she joined SPIEGEL’s culture department in 2021 and has been its deputy head since 2023. She was named one of the “Top 30 Under 30 in Journalism” and received the German Reporter:innenpreis.
Moderator
Annika Prigge is a freelance journalist, author, and presenter from Berlin. She hosts the ARD podcast produced by Y-Kollektiv, Das letzte Gespräch for funk, and has hosted the podcast End Zwanni for the past three years. This year, together with Gesina Demes, she published her debut book Zum Ersten Mal, which entered the Spiegel bestseller list. On her Instagram account, she combines art with short video essays on politics and pop culture.