Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was An Idea

Post-screening Q&A with Writer & Director Leslie Buchbinder and Martha Westermann Renner, sister of H.C. Westermann, moderated by Jon Kiefer

“Staggeringly powerful; mind-blowing” — Frank Gehry during Hammer Museum post-screening discussion

Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea” is a documentary film about the life and work of artist and marine H.C. (“Cliff”) Westermann, voice-acted by four-time Academy-Award nominee Ed Harris, conceived and directed by Leslie Buchbinder, and featuring interviews with Ed Ruscha, Frank Gehry, and many others. As a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who struggled with the ramifications of modern warfare, Westermann’s dramatic personal history can be traced through his beguiling, surreal artworks. The film reveals how Westermann protected his empathic spirit – and sanity – by ‘sculpting’ his body, artworks, friendships, his hand-hewn house, and his art-filled letters to his dearest friends and family. Executive produced by the international art icon KAWS, and award-winning documentary producer Caryn Capotosto, “Westermann” features music by legendary artists Laurie Anderson, the Kronos Quartet, and Terry Allen, with an original score by MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner Tomeka Reid.