ARD documentary: "Leon Löwentraut – Genius or Imagination?"

The documentary focuses on the artist Leon Löwentraut and offers an intimate glimpse into his life, a world of art, criticism, family, and jet-setting. It will be available in the ARD media library from Tuesday, December 2, 2025, and will also be broadcast on 3sat on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 9:55 p.m.

Young, self-confident, successful – and controversial: With over 1.4 million followers on Instagram and exhibitions in cities like New York, London, Paris, and Zurich, Leon Löwentraut captivates a global audience. While some celebrate him as an artistic genius, the established art scene labels the 27-year-old a self-promoter who, although adept at marketing himself, whose work lacks depth and substance. But it's not just art critics who criticize him; he also faces envy and hatred on social media.

“I am not an artist who wants to please everyone and be everybody’s darling” (Leon Löwentraut).

And yet, rejection also affects him.

Who is Leon Löwentraut, who seems to dance effortlessly on the stages of the art world, yet so often rubs people the wrong way? How does he deal with this ambivalent perception? Where does his extreme self-confidence come from, which fascinates many and provokes others?

The documentary “LEON LÖWENTRAUT – Genius or Imagination?” shows for the first time in detail the person behind the polarizing artist.

Between studio and jet set, exhibition openings, everyday life and family, the documentary offers an intense, intimate glimpse behind the facade of the young artist and simultaneously illuminates the Löwentraut family structure. For behind the success lies more than a single name – a family working together on Leon's career. Who has which responsibilities, and how does the family deal with criticism and pressure to meet expectations, image and identity?

Leon and his parents speak openly about his childhood, his adolescence, the many difficulties he faced, and the feeling of having to forge his own path at just 14 years old. Strong family ties have always been a central element. This is also reflected in their home: On a shared property in Mönchengladbach, parents and son live in two houses, where Leon also has a spacious studio.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. If everyone knows how to handle this particular life situation, and if there's acceptance and everything else is in place, then I think it's manageable. Because at the end of the day, you can only truly trust your family, especially when you're navigating a shark tank like the art world” (Leon Löwentraut).

Leon Löwentraut's story is one of early success – but also of constant confrontation. For him, success is not a matter of chance, but the result of consistent work and a life lived in the tension between passion and pressure, recognition and rejection.

Trailer for the documentary: Trailer

Further information at: ARD Mediathek Leon Löwentraut