Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own
A portrait of one of the few women working in monumental sculpture.
Ursula von Rydingsvard is one of the few women working in monumental sculpture. Her towering works, built from thousands of cut cedar beams and cast in bronze and copper, are held by the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and stand in public places around the world.
The film follows her and her studio over several years as they make new work, including her most demanding commission, a monumental sculpture of hand-pounded copper for Princeton University. Alongside the work, it traces the life that shaped it: born in Germany in 1942, she spent her early childhood in displaced persons camps before her family of nine came to the United States as refugees. She grew up in a blue-collar household under a violent, domineering father, became a teacher, and in the 1970s, as a single mother, moved to New York to make art full-time.
Through conversations with curators, patrons, family and fellow artists, the film is a portrait of a driven, compassionate artist who made the life she needed.“Outstanding.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“A welcome cinematic account of her work.” — The New York Times
“A movie you want to reach out and touch.” — Los Angeles Times
“Extraordinary! If you loved the Andy Goldsworthy documentary Rivers and Tides, this one is a must.” — Mercury News
“A revelation.” — Musée Magazine
“Visceral, heroic; the story of one of our greatest contemporary sculptors.” — Black Book
The film follows her and her studio over several years as they make new work, including her most demanding commission, a monumental sculpture of hand-pounded copper for Princeton University. Alongside the work, it traces the life that shaped it: born in Germany in 1942, she spent her early childhood in displaced persons camps before her family of nine came to the United States as refugees. She grew up in a blue-collar household under a violent, domineering father, became a teacher, and in the 1970s, as a single mother, moved to New York to make art full-time.
Through conversations with curators, patrons, family and fellow artists, the film is a portrait of a driven, compassionate artist who made the life she needed.“Outstanding.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“A welcome cinematic account of her work.” — The New York Times
“A movie you want to reach out and touch.” — Los Angeles Times
“Extraordinary! If you loved the Andy Goldsworthy documentary Rivers and Tides, this one is a must.” — Mercury News
“A revelation.” — Musée Magazine
“Visceral, heroic; the story of one of our greatest contemporary sculptors.” — Black Book
DirectorDaniel Traub
ProducersDaniel Traub, Ken Kobland, Simon Taufique
Executive ProducerMorning Slayter
CinematographyDaniel Traub
EditorsKen Kobland, Melody London
MusicSimon Taufique
Post-production supervisorMichele Zarbafian
FestivalsVancouver International Film Festival 2019; Berkshire, Architecture Design Art, Santa Fe and Hamptons Doc Fest 2020
DistributionIcarus Films (US, Canada); Poorhouse International (Europe, Asia)
Director’s statement
The impetus for Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own came in 2014 when Ursula saw my short film, Xu Bing: Phoenix, at MASS MoCA. At the same time, curators from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park were mounting an exhibition of her work in Venice for the 2015 Biennale. Ursula suggested that they commission me to document the installation process. This resulted in the short documentary Ursula von Rydingsvard: Giardino della Marinaressa.
Fortuitously, around the same time as the installation in Venice, Ursula was immersed in what she described as the most complex and challenging project of her career: a monumental sculpture commissioned by Princeton University, which she had decided to make from hand-pounded copper plates, a material that she had not used. The project seemed to be an obvious focus for a documentary and so, with Ursula’s blessing, I began to film, first in her studio in Bushwick and later in the workspace of the metals fabricator Richard Webber.
It took me some time to register the power of Ursula’s sculptures. They are at once personal and intimate—even at times humorous—while also being imbued with an almost impersonal, primal energy. I was particularly interested in her process—specifically, how she makes decisions about her artworks and finds a direction forward. I was drawn to the visceral, probing quality of her search and the confidence with which she follows her intuition.
I learned about Ursula’s personal history: her early life in the Displaced Persons camps in Germany, the deprivation of her upbringing in Connecticut, the trauma of her first marriage and the brutality of her father. Step by step, through perseverance and will, she cultivated the creative life that she needed. This was present in her work and process, of course, and also in the people that are paramount in her life: her daughter, Ursie; her brother Staś; and her late husband, Paul Greengard. Her studio assistants, who are enormously dedicated to Ursula and her work, are an extended family.
It became apparent that a cogent portrait of Ursula had to include her formative years as a young woman from a traditional, immigrant family, and her quest to surmount the limited expectations imposed upon her. This film is about Ursula’s endeavors to dream big and come into her own.
Daniel TraubRead more
Fortuitously, around the same time as the installation in Venice, Ursula was immersed in what she described as the most complex and challenging project of her career: a monumental sculpture commissioned by Princeton University, which she had decided to make from hand-pounded copper plates, a material that she had not used. The project seemed to be an obvious focus for a documentary and so, with Ursula’s blessing, I began to film, first in her studio in Bushwick and later in the workspace of the metals fabricator Richard Webber.
It took me some time to register the power of Ursula’s sculptures. They are at once personal and intimate—even at times humorous—while also being imbued with an almost impersonal, primal energy. I was particularly interested in her process—specifically, how she makes decisions about her artworks and finds a direction forward. I was drawn to the visceral, probing quality of her search and the confidence with which she follows her intuition.
I learned about Ursula’s personal history: her early life in the Displaced Persons camps in Germany, the deprivation of her upbringing in Connecticut, the trauma of her first marriage and the brutality of her father. Step by step, through perseverance and will, she cultivated the creative life that she needed. This was present in her work and process, of course, and also in the people that are paramount in her life: her daughter, Ursie; her brother Staś; and her late husband, Paul Greengard. Her studio assistants, who are enormously dedicated to Ursula and her work, are an extended family.
It became apparent that a cogent portrait of Ursula had to include her formative years as a young woman from a traditional, immigrant family, and her quest to surmount the limited expectations imposed upon her. This film is about Ursula’s endeavors to dream big and come into her own.
Daniel Traub
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Screenings and broadcasts
Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT, December 13, 2025
Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA, March 7, 2024
Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY, May 14, 2023
City of Palm Desert Public Art Documentary Series, Palm Desert, CA, Feb. 22, 2023
MIT List Visual Arts Center, IAP Film Screening Series, Cambridge, MA, January 25, 2023
Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO, August 30–September 11, 2022
Talley Dunn Gallery, Dallas, TX, 2022
SVA Theater, New York, NY, September 20, 2021
AIA Vermont / AD Film Series, Burlington, VT, February 17–21, 2021 (VR)
Symphony Space, NYC, June 23–October 29, 2020 (VR)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union Cinema, Milwaukee, WI, October 14–16, 2020 (VR)
Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM, June 5–October 29, 2020 (VR)
Rose Theatre, Port Townsend, WA, June 5–October 29, 2020 (VR)
Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA, June 5–October 11, 2020 (VR)
Cornell Cinema, Ithaca, NY, September 11–17, 2020 (VR)
Vancity Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Summer 2020 (VR)
Laemmle Theatres, Los Angeles, CA, June 5–18, 2020 (VR)
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL, June 5–11, 2020 (VR)
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI, June 5–August 31, 2020 (VR)
Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA, June 5–30, 2020 (VR)
Lightbox Film Center, Philadelphia, PA, June 5–30, 2020 (VR)
Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA, June 5–30, 2020 (VR)
Liberty Theatre, St. Helena, CA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Cinema Arts Theatre, Fairfax, VA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME, Summer 2020 (VR)
Crandell Theatre, Chatham, NY, Summer 2020 (VR)
Film Society of Summit, Summit, NJ, Summer 2020 (VR)
Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins, Kansas City, MO, June 5–11, 2020 (VR)
Time and Space Limited, Hudson, NY, June 5–11, 2020 (VR)
Pickford Film Center, Bellingham, WA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Downing Film Center, Newburgh, NY, Summer 2020 (VR)
Savoy Theater, Montpelier, VT, Summer 2020 (VR)
Tropic Cinema, Key West, FL, Summer 2020 (VR)
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, July 3, 2020 (VR)
MFA Houston, Houston, TX, June 17–30, 2020 (VR)
Gold Coast Int’l Film Fest, Great Neck, NY, June 15–30, 2020 (VR)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Summer 2020 (VR)
Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA, June 18, 2020 (VR)
O Cinema, Miami, FL, June 17, 2020 (VR)
ShowRoom Cinemas, Asbury Park, NJ, Summer 2020 (VR)
FilmBar, Tucson, Summer 2020 (VR)
Ciné, Athens, GA, Summer 2020 (VR)
The Tull Family Theater, Sewickley, PA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Amherst Cinema, Amherst, MA, June 10–July 9, 2020 (VR)
Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI, June 24, 2020 (VR)
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, NY, June 1, 2020
Cape Cinema, Dennis, MA, June 5, 2020 (VR)
Film Forum, New York, NY, May 29–June 30, 2020 (VR)
Orange County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, April 2, 2020 (VR)
Brava for Women in the Arts, San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2020
Architecture Design Art Film Festival 2020, Palm Springs, CA, February 21, 2020
Parrish Art Museum/Hamptons Doc Fest, Watermill, NY, February 14, 2020
Santa Fe Film Festival, Santa Fe, NM, February 13, 2020
Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada, October 2, 2019 (World Premiere)
Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, May 14, 2019 (Preview Screening)
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, October 10, 2019 (Preview Screening)
Broadcasts
NPO1–Avrotros (Netherlands), De sculpturen van Ursula von Rydingsvard, October 12, 2024
TVP (Poland), June 30, 2023
Schweizer Fernsehen (Swiss Television), 2022
Avrotros (Netherlands), Close Up, De sculpturen van Ursula von Rydingsvard, August 15, 2020
Sky Arts New Zealand, 2020Show all screenings and broadcasts
Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA, March 7, 2024
Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY, May 14, 2023
City of Palm Desert Public Art Documentary Series, Palm Desert, CA, Feb. 22, 2023
MIT List Visual Arts Center, IAP Film Screening Series, Cambridge, MA, January 25, 2023
Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO, August 30–September 11, 2022
Talley Dunn Gallery, Dallas, TX, 2022
SVA Theater, New York, NY, September 20, 2021
AIA Vermont / AD Film Series, Burlington, VT, February 17–21, 2021 (VR)
Symphony Space, NYC, June 23–October 29, 2020 (VR)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union Cinema, Milwaukee, WI, October 14–16, 2020 (VR)
Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM, June 5–October 29, 2020 (VR)
Rose Theatre, Port Townsend, WA, June 5–October 29, 2020 (VR)
Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA, June 5–October 11, 2020 (VR)
Cornell Cinema, Ithaca, NY, September 11–17, 2020 (VR)
Vancity Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Summer 2020 (VR)
Laemmle Theatres, Los Angeles, CA, June 5–18, 2020 (VR)
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL, June 5–11, 2020 (VR)
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI, June 5–August 31, 2020 (VR)
Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA, June 5–30, 2020 (VR)
Lightbox Film Center, Philadelphia, PA, June 5–30, 2020 (VR)
Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA, June 5–30, 2020 (VR)
Liberty Theatre, St. Helena, CA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Cinema Arts Theatre, Fairfax, VA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME, Summer 2020 (VR)
Crandell Theatre, Chatham, NY, Summer 2020 (VR)
Film Society of Summit, Summit, NJ, Summer 2020 (VR)
Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins, Kansas City, MO, June 5–11, 2020 (VR)
Time and Space Limited, Hudson, NY, June 5–11, 2020 (VR)
Pickford Film Center, Bellingham, WA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Downing Film Center, Newburgh, NY, Summer 2020 (VR)
Savoy Theater, Montpelier, VT, Summer 2020 (VR)
Tropic Cinema, Key West, FL, Summer 2020 (VR)
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, July 3, 2020 (VR)
MFA Houston, Houston, TX, June 17–30, 2020 (VR)
Gold Coast Int’l Film Fest, Great Neck, NY, June 15–30, 2020 (VR)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Summer 2020 (VR)
Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA, June 18, 2020 (VR)
O Cinema, Miami, FL, June 17, 2020 (VR)
ShowRoom Cinemas, Asbury Park, NJ, Summer 2020 (VR)
FilmBar, Tucson, Summer 2020 (VR)
Ciné, Athens, GA, Summer 2020 (VR)
The Tull Family Theater, Sewickley, PA, Summer 2020 (VR)
Amherst Cinema, Amherst, MA, June 10–July 9, 2020 (VR)
Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI, June 24, 2020 (VR)
Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, NY, June 1, 2020
Cape Cinema, Dennis, MA, June 5, 2020 (VR)
Film Forum, New York, NY, May 29–June 30, 2020 (VR)
Orange County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, April 2, 2020 (VR)
Brava for Women in the Arts, San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2020
Architecture Design Art Film Festival 2020, Palm Springs, CA, February 21, 2020
Parrish Art Museum/Hamptons Doc Fest, Watermill, NY, February 14, 2020
Santa Fe Film Festival, Santa Fe, NM, February 13, 2020
Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada, October 2, 2019 (World Premiere)
Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, May 14, 2019 (Preview Screening)
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, October 10, 2019 (Preview Screening)
Broadcasts
NPO1–Avrotros (Netherlands), De sculpturen van Ursula von Rydingsvard, October 12, 2024
TVP (Poland), June 30, 2023
Schweizer Fernsehen (Swiss Television), 2022
Avrotros (Netherlands), Close Up, De sculpturen van Ursula von Rydingsvard, August 15, 2020
Sky Arts New Zealand, 2020
Press and interviews
The New York Times, ‘Into Her Own’ Review: A Sculptor’s Monumental Achievements, Glenn Kenny, May 28, 2020
The Washington Post, ‘Into Her Own’ Review, Michael O’Sullivan, June 18, 2020
The San Francisco Chronicle, Review: Inside the mind of sculptor Ursula Von Rydingsvard, G. Allen Johnson, June 2, 2020
The Los Angeles Times, Review: ‘Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own’ is a movie you want to reach out and touch, Kevin Crust, June 4, 2020
Artnews, New Ursula von Rydingsvard Documentary Gives Insight to Process
Behind Artist’s Towering Sculptures, Maximilíano Durón, June 5, 2020
Blackbook, A Monumental Woman, Ken Scrudato, September 28, 2020
Culturemix, ‘Into Her Own’ Review, Carla Hay, May 29, 2020
Musée,Film Review: Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own, Belle McIntyre, June 5, 2020
Third Coast Review,Review: Sculptor Ursula Von Rydingvard’s History and Process Explored in Into Her Own, Steve Prokopy, June 5, 2020
KQED,Doc of Sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard Goes ‘Into Her Own’, Jeffrey Edalatpour, June 8, 2020
Selected Director Interviews
International Policy Digest, Interview with ‘Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own’ Director Daniel Traub, Claire McCurdy, June 8, 2020
The New Current, Interview with Daniel Traub, 2020
Screenpicks,Interview: Director Daniel Traub on ‘Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own’, June 3, 2020
Selected Q&A (Recorded)
Film Forum: Q&A with artist/subject Ursula von Rydingsvard and filmmaker Daniel Traub, moderated by Molly Donovan, Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art on May 31, 2020
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL: Q&A for Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own
Pacific Film Archive: Daniel Traub, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Steven H. Oliver in Conversation streamed live on June 14, 2020
Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA: Q&A with director Daniel Traub, SFMOMA’s Solomon Adler, and artist/subject Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Tuesday 6/16 at 2pm PT/5pm ETShow all press and interviews
The Washington Post, ‘Into Her Own’ Review, Michael O’Sullivan, June 18, 2020
The San Francisco Chronicle, Review: Inside the mind of sculptor Ursula Von Rydingsvard, G. Allen Johnson, June 2, 2020
The Los Angeles Times, Review: ‘Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own’ is a movie you want to reach out and touch, Kevin Crust, June 4, 2020
Artnews, New Ursula von Rydingsvard Documentary Gives Insight to Process
Behind Artist’s Towering Sculptures, Maximilíano Durón, June 5, 2020
Blackbook, A Monumental Woman, Ken Scrudato, September 28, 2020
Culturemix, ‘Into Her Own’ Review, Carla Hay, May 29, 2020
Musée,Film Review: Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own, Belle McIntyre, June 5, 2020
Third Coast Review,Review: Sculptor Ursula Von Rydingvard’s History and Process Explored in Into Her Own, Steve Prokopy, June 5, 2020
KQED,Doc of Sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard Goes ‘Into Her Own’, Jeffrey Edalatpour, June 8, 2020
Selected Director Interviews
International Policy Digest, Interview with ‘Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own’ Director Daniel Traub, Claire McCurdy, June 8, 2020
The New Current, Interview with Daniel Traub, 2020
Screenpicks,Interview: Director Daniel Traub on ‘Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own’, June 3, 2020
Selected Q&A (Recorded)
Film Forum: Q&A with artist/subject Ursula von Rydingsvard and filmmaker Daniel Traub, moderated by Molly Donovan, Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art on May 31, 2020
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL: Q&A for Ursula von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own
Pacific Film Archive: Daniel Traub, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Steven H. Oliver in Conversation streamed live on June 14, 2020
Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA: Q&A with director Daniel Traub, SFMOMA’s Solomon Adler, and artist/subject Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Tuesday 6/16 at 2pm PT/5pm ET
Press kit and contacts
Production notes (PDF)
Press images: web (ZIP, 2 MB) · print (ZIP, 6 MB)
Press, New York: Film Forum, Adam Walker, adam@filmforum.org
Press, Los Angeles / San Francisco / regional: EG PR, Emma Griffiths, emma@eg-pr.com
Distribution, US and Canada: Icarus Films, Bob Hunter, bob@icarusfilms.com
Distribution, Europe and Asia: Poorhouse International, Heike Connolly, heike.connolly@poorhouseintl.co.uk
Press images: web (ZIP, 2 MB) · print (ZIP, 6 MB)
Press, New York: Film Forum, Adam Walker, adam@filmforum.org
Press, Los Angeles / San Francisco / regional: EG PR, Emma Griffiths, emma@eg-pr.com
Distribution, US and Canada: Icarus Films, Bob Hunter, bob@icarusfilms.com
Distribution, Europe and Asia: Poorhouse International, Heike Connolly, heike.connolly@poorhouseintl.co.uk
Original music