The German artist Georg Baselitz, known for his expressive paintings and sculptures that often stirred controversy, has died at the age of 88. The Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, which had a longstanding professional relationship with the artist, confirmed his death on Thursday, stating that Baselitz had “defined German visual art for a generation” and died peacefully.
Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, near Dresden, Baselitz was among Germany’s most prominent contemporary visual artists, with a career spanning six decades. His work grappled with the traumas of German history and questions of collective guilt, similar to his peers Gerhard Richter and Anselm Kiefer. In a 2013 interview with Der Spiegel, he said: “All German painters have neuroses when it comes to Germany’s past... If you want, my paintings are battles.”
Baselitz gained international attention in 1963 when authorities confiscated two sexually symbolic paintings from an exhibition, leading to a high-profile court case. He achieved his international breakthrough in the early 1980s and became one of the highest-priced living German painters. His technique of painting canvases upside down, which he began in 1969, produced notable works such as a series of eagle paintings that referenced the Third Reich and postwar Germany.
One of these eagle paintings was hung upside down behind the desk of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Baselitz also caused a stir at the 1980 Venice Biennale with a wooden sculpture that appeared to depict a Nazi salute, though he later clarified it was inspired by an artefact from Burkina Faso. He spent his early childhood in Nazi Germany and grew up in East Germany, moving to West Berlin in 1957.
Baselitz was known for his strong opinions, often criticising other artists and making controversial statements about female artists, though he later retracted some of these comments. Despite his provocative nature, he was admired by politicians and art collectors alike. The gallery confirmed his death but did not provide further details.
