Georg Baselitz is one of Germany’s greatest living artists. He is a painter, sculptor and graphic artist whose figurative, expressive paintings confront the realities of the modern age. In creating his work, Baselitz draws inspiration from diverse sources which include Soviet era illustrations, art of the Mannerist period, and African sculpture. He was responsible for the revival of Neo-Expressionism which dominated German art in the 1970s and 80s. One of the most defining features of his work is his inverted paintings, whereby he paints his subjects upside down. This practice is a way of moving on from his earlier representational works and draws attention to the artifice of painting. This results in images which create feelings of unease and disquiet. Through his art, Georg Baselitz frequently questions what it means to be German and a German artist after World War Two. Through his unflinching confrontation of the past, and considerations of contemporary German identity, he paves the way for fellow German artists to face this question with him.
German, b. 1938, Kamenz, Germany. Based in Germany and Austria
