>> high lights. in this edition. a life for art. bruno lives and works in a former public swimming pool. living in the past, an englishman's obsession with the 19 40's. building the future. a book note is leading the way with designs. euromaxx high lights. and your host robin.

>> and a warm welcome to the show. we begin with one of germany's most famous portrait photographs. she found her calling rather accidentally. not until when she was in her late 30s. her pictures have won her many awards including germany's highest honor the federal order of merit, and her latest book has also picked up a prize. >> from young girls to older women, her photos are up close and personal. she has taken intimate shots of famous faces, former german chancellor, or yosef before he was pope benedict. photos, titled my view had bon the book award. the book is the first to chronical every days of her 30

years in photography. >> i think when you leaf through my view, you can see that it was a very intense and exciting life. with a lot of positive encounters, i have to say. and you also see the different worlds i've been involved in. >> in her studio, taking photos of a jockey for her current project. the 71-year-old is a trained fashion designer but she taught herself photography. in the mid 70's, the mother of four took photos of her children, an experience that brought her talent to the fore, and showed her passion for the craft. over the years, people have always been her favorite motif.

>> photographing people means you're constantly facing new personal challenges. because you have to get people to open up, you have to deal with them. you have to get a sense of them and connect with them. you also have to give people something before you can take. >> portraits are her trademark. these photos are from her book, children. the photograph often spends years on her projects. one of her most famous works is traces of power from 1999. for eight years, she met a range of different politicians once a year to photograph and interview them, including germany's chancellor. the result was snapshots that give a window into how power can change people. >> they smile in a friendly way, but they try not to let

anything else from their inner being escape. so they retain an air of mystery. but at some point they also become part of the mask. they can't wear a mask from 8:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night without some of it rubbing off on them. >> she lives and works in munich. her first big project were the photo soofies on bavarian markets. the jewish synagogue in the city center, a place associated with what she considers her most important work. in 1989, the photograph released her jewish portrait series, featuring pictures of holocaust survivors. the youngest of the group was 70 years old at the time. many have since passed away.

>> i see myself as a person who naturally seizes on top yibs. not all of them are german but many are, that are socially important or reveal something about our culture and society. >> and motifs like german living rooms, she made her breakthrough 30 years ago with this photo book, a peak at private spaces. several years later, she took snap shots of different bedrooms around the world. >> i have motiffs that others see as ordinary. but i find something different in them and present them in a context where people think, ah hah, i've never seen it that way before. >> she doesn't consider her latest book a retro

specttedive. she says her work isn't nearly finished and the 71-year-old photograph is working on a page of long range projects, more shots of the world through her own special lens. >> what great photos. there are most probably more paintings by bruno bruni on the walls of german living rooms than any other artist because he believes art is for everybody and he paints for the mass market. naturally, the results are controversial with the tribts presented as pure titch but the fact is he is still very popular and successful at the grand age of 75. >> a message in a bottle on the stormy seas. it's been 30 years since he painted his last landscape. the italian artist is still searching for variety but he stayed true to his signature style all these years. >> you can understand almost

everything i paint. there's no mystery. i can't paint an abstract picture. there have been so many movements and trends in the last 50 or 60 years. if i'd gon along with all of them, i'd have disappeared long ago. >> he grew international famous through his drawings and litsdzo graphs which earn him multinel awards. whether in painting or consult tur, his favorite motiff is the physical form. >> first because it's the subject that offers the most variety. and second, i'm old but i think i've still never understood a woman. but i keep trying. >> he lis in a swimming pool surrouppeded by his art. the building is more than a century old and serves as his apartment, studio and gallery.

featuring works like famous artists. bruni converted and restored the spacious location a decade ago. there are still many details relating to the buildings former use. >> the swimming pool is still all there but there's no water. this was for the soap if people wanted to shower back there. there is still a lot of odd little features. >> hamburg has been home base to bruni for the past 50 years. he studied here and later launched his career in the city. >> i came here because of a girl, of course. i was in england where i met a girl from hamburg and then i came here. i realized that i had the opportunity to do whatever i wanted here. >> bruni's big breakthrough came in the early 1970s. his litsdzo graphs and statues

were very popular. some critics dismissed his art as commercial because of its mass appeal. but for bruni, the problem is elitism in the art world. >> when things are reproduced they're also inexpensive. buying an original oil painting means spending a lot of money. art should be for everyone, not just for these privileged showoffs who have money and think they're better than anybody else. >> today, he sells his works through his gallery. he's reputed to be one of germany's top earning artists. he's also a boxing fan. he used to make meals for his friends, the former champion, before each match. cooking is a hobby he's passionate about. and spaghetti is one of his favorite dishes. >> it's a talent just like

painting. cooking isn't easy. you have to love it. >> bruni has also cooked for the former german chancellor. he was a guest at his wedding. his cook book features both his favorite recipes and stories from his own life. >> i was born there. my father was a railway crossing attendant. that's where i lived. >> he started painting as a young boy in a town on the italian aid ratic coast. >> i'm happy whenever i can paint because i learn something. in fact, when i'm painting i really learn about what the old masters painted. and i probably need two or 300

years to achieve what they've done. >> art is his life. and even at the age of 75, bruni has no plans to lay down his pabet brush. -- paint brush. >> now for something quite unusual. a trip back in time. have you ever wondered what it would be like to li in a different era? time travel has been the dream of mankind since time in memorable. and it seems one man has cracked it. or has he? meet ben. >> paying a visit to ben san som is like traling back in time to another era, the 19 40's. ♪ ♪ >> hello. >> the 32-year-old transformed his house into a 19 40's relic.

>> i just, i don't know, something about it it's very cozy, homey. things are built to last. i just love the music, the old cars, the age of elegance as they used to say, art deco. >> he's not alone. his girlfriend has also come to share his passion for the 40's. >> when i first met him through his friends, she said he was into the 40's but i didn't realize quite so much. >> the couple live in man chester, an hour and a half away from london. the small town has remained isolated through many of the changes through modern technology. it's perfect for ben. when he first met his girlfriend, he was worried about what she might think. >> thinking she's a modern girl and i'm thinking, when do i tell her about my hobby?

i'll wait until we became friends first. >> this record player was a gift from his grand father 20 years ago. it first sparked his passion. some since like this chair had to be revamped to fit the time period. ben pains takingly converted his house. even his chores are done the old-fashioned way. >> if you had lots of money or you didn't, i think people really cared about each other then. there was a lot more sense of community and family values. very important in those days. which ton of nice. i don't think we've got it in britain today at all. >> hello. >> hello. >> come in. >> ben's dad comes over often. he grew up in the 19 40's and still remembers what it was like back then. when ben redesigned the intier ier of his house, he took a lot of tips from his father and

even some pictures. like this washboard. >> scrub up and down. >> when you see other people doing it, you say there's another one. >> or cringe when he comes walking down the street in his old 40's gear. >> you say come around after dark. >> he also washes his clothes in true 19 40's still. >> doing the acts of a washing machine. >> about half an hour, very hard work. good for the muscles. >> the clothes are hung up to dry in the kitchen, which was often the warmest room in the house. >> takes so much effort with everything. you're so connected to everything because today machines do everything. in those days everything was done by hand and it was very labor intensive. so it does definitely bring you

closer to things, i think. >> but even ben knows his lo for all things 40's has its limits. >> so this is my magazine rack, looks very 40's, a place to keep all your bits and pieces. because it's actually 2010, i do cheat sometimes. i know it's not really the 40's. sorry. and i've got a modern bathroom. i think at the end of the day we just don't like being around modern things. if we see like a modern sofa of a tv or computer, i hate it. i just don't like to see it. i just have to cover it up or hide it away. >> ben works as a steward for british airlines so his job takes him to new and modern places all over the world. but he always knows he can step back in time again when he walks through his front door.

♪ ♪ >> and time now to meet someone whose career began at the end of the 19 40's. pierre one of the great designers of perfume bottles. and some he's created for the likes of st. laurnt and deor. we met up with him in paris where he is still dreaming up new ideas after 60 years in the business. >> it's like a small house. he once said. his name may not be famous, but his designs are known all over the world. his work has been a life long passion. >> i've always done drawings. for me, it's a great way to express myself. if someone tells me about an idea, i have to put it to paper. it comes naturally to me. >> pierre studied architecture

in the 19 as and then worked for an advertising agency. one of his clients was from a passion house. >> a certain mad am ro she have said you're an architect would you have an idea for a perfume? i worked on hi design for over a year. i knew it was my big chance. there wasn't much competition. it had to be a success. >> his first la con came on the market in 1959 and his career took off. over the past years he has designed bottles for many big names. each time he takes his inspiration from the designers' personal stories. in one case, he developed a special friendship with french fashion designer is laurnt.

>> he was a very shy person but an incredibly talented artist. he was amazing to work with. >> he was modest and yet demanding at the same time. deceit and passionate. we could spend hours working together. >> in 1976, the two of them traveled to morocco. he was one of the best known fashion designers of the time. his new perfume opium needed just the right bottle. pierre came up with the design. it became the top selling perfume aside from chanel number 5. but pierre always staid in the background. >> it works well for me. after all, i'm only the designer in the service of a much greater designer. >> despite his modestty he still enjoys the recognition he

receives. >> pierre was of course among them. >> yes of course it's nice to be here and to be recognized for the work that you've been doing for over 50 years. but i'm not a star. the designers are the stars. >> back in his studio, he tells us about the material he uses for his bottles. one of the secrets of his success that he first discovered quite by accident. >> once when i was playing golf, the bawl broke apart and i found -- ball broke apart. it was a transparent but elastic it shiprd but it wasn't glass. i first used it for val kin kline.

>> this plastic is now used as standard. nowadays pee ir's son worked d -- pierre worked with him. he decided to follow with his father's foot steps. >> my father always came home with drawings and told stories about fashion designers. i rushed through my homework so i could spend time with him in the evening. >> he now could eedsly manage the business alone. but pierre is still passionate about his work. and at the age of 79, he has many more ideas that he hopes to turn into beautiful designs. >> the designs exhibitions, trade fair, and museums. and even though it was founded just 13 years ago, it's one of the leading companies of its time in the world. with advances in architecture today and multimedia technology, the creative

possibilities are endless. many of their designs look like something out of the science fiction movie. >> architect and set designer is the creative genius behind all these projects. he knows how to design a space to that its dimensions and contents immediately draw in visitors. like this black forest theme exhibition room of history in stuttgart, what we go is complete a create picture and atmosphere that appeals to all five senses.

we don't just exhibit contents, we stage it. so, for example, here you can hear forest sounds like cookus and smell fir trees. that's what we mean by sin og if i. that's what people like. in the museum lobby is a map showing how back in the early 19th century germany was made up of small independent states, each with its own ruler. he makes this complex history accessible to visitors. >> in traditional museums there's always so much to read before you can understand what's going on. but with this map, the territories are marked. like here. and you can see who its ruler was. what we do is help the contents speak for itself. >> the designs are developed in

his company stutegart offices. 70 people from different countries and professional backgrounds work here. to art his attorneys and cultural experts. they develop their ideas for new exhibitions as a team, first researching all facts and then brain storming to come up with a design. >> i think it's really great that there are so many of us from so in different cultures. it's very enriching. i come from venezuela, and some of my colleagues are from italy. all over the world really and it's a very creative atmosphere. >> the it la bulk anywhere works on projects the world over. it created the pavilion for the chinese state energy company, a multimedia show conveys the message to visitors that renewable energies are the

future and that responsible energy choices can improve living conditions in the world's crowded cities. they also worked on the trading floor of the german stock exchange in frankfurt. the circular theme reflects the constant loop of daily trading. in 2008, the exhibition, that's opera, taught the world, featuring original historic exhibits as well as interactive media stations, it depicted the various stages in the development of an opera. a book documenting selected international projects is set for publicication. the page proofs have just arrived and the team are giving them a final once over. also on the schedule are talks about the group's next big project, arabian journeys, part

of saudi arabia's massive king center for world culture. they will be designing a section of the complex in the middle of the desert. >> it's being built as the eighth wonder of the world and we're proud to be a part of it. right? >> absolutely. and we hope it's going to be huge. >> it usually works on about 20 projects at once, so the team has plenty of scope to reflect its diversity. >> if you want to find out more about the program go to our website and there's other reports there too. that's all the time for this round here. buy buy for now. -- e