Tabea Blumenschein

Tabea Blumenschein was a German painter, actress, film director, screenwriter, costume/set designer and musician. Largely known for her acting, and starring roles in films by Ulrike Ottinger, Blumenschein was a multidisciplinary artist, who later in life focused her art on physical media and drawing.
Blumenschein was born in Rietheim, Germany. She studied art at Kunstschule Konstanz and moved to Berlin in 1973. She then starred in 5 films by Ulrike Ottinger, and rose to fame in the West Berlin art scene in the 1970's, before retreating from public view in the 1980's.
Blumenschein spent most of her life making art; realising stage and film designs, creating fashion drawings, illustrations and taking photographs. In 1979, She designed the collection "Big Birds" for Berlin Knitweardesigner Claudia Skoda which was presented at Berlin Kongresshalle. She was awarded the Deutscher Filmpreis in Gold 1981 for her set design for the film Looping.
In the 1980's Blumenschein collaborated with the performance art and music group Die Tödliche Doris and recorded with Gudrun Gut, Bettina Koester, Frieder Butzmann, and with Die Dominas. She additionally did costume design for the groups performance costumes.
Blumenschein died in Berlin, aged 67.

Personal life

Blumenschein was a lesbian, and known to have been in a relationship with Ulrike Ottinger in the 1970's. They moved to West Berlin together in 1973/1974. She also dated novelist Patricia Highsmith, and is noted as a source of inspiration on Highsmith's novel The Boy Who Followed Ripley. Blumenschein was featured on the front page of Stern magazine in 1985 with her girlfriend at the time under the title "Women who Love Women", desigating her public coming-out.
Blumenschein was a prominent figure in the West Berlin bar scene, and enjoyed partaking in gender-bending and watching drag king performances.

Film Career

An artist and actor, Blumenschein was a frequent collaborator and lead actress in many films of her lifelong friend – Ulrike Ottinger. In Ticket of No Return, Blumenschein starred as "the lady drinker" and was additionally the costume designer.

Filmography

Laokoon & Söhne ', Portrait Marianne Rosenberg,

', Ticket of No Return, Taxi zum Klo, Das Graupelberhuhn Sportliche Schatten – Kunst in Krisenzeiten Looping. The Long Dream of Short Happiness Uliisses, . Zagarbata,
''Loving Highsmith ''

Secondary literature

Ottinger, Ulrike, Ulrike Ottinger - ZusammenSpiel. Band 2: Ulrike Ottinger - Fotografien, Berlin: Hatje Cantz,

Additional

Suh, Elissa. Metrograph. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
Meinert, Philipp. . Kaput Mag.