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Georg Baselitz (born January 23, 1938) is a
Germany|German painter who studied in the former
East Germany before moving to what was then the
country of West Germany. 

His career was kick-started in the late 1980s
after a police action against one of his
paintings, a self-portrait (Die grosse Nacht im
Eimer) that depicted an underaged boy
masturbation|masturbating. 

Baselitz's style is Expressionist. His speciality
is to paint his subjects the other way around to
free the subject from its content.
Baslitz is one of the world's best-selling living
artists.  He is a professor at the renowned
Hochschule der Künste in Berlin.

Georg Baselitz
1938-

Born 23 January 1938 as Hans-Georg Kern in
Deutschbaselitz/Saxony, in what was later East
Germany.
His father is an elementary schoolteacher and the
family lives in the local schoolhouse; in its
library,
Baselitz comes across albums of nineteenth-century
pencil drawings - his first encounter with art.
He acts as assistant to nature photographer Helmut
Drechsler on occasional "ornithological shoots."

1950-1955
The family moves to the county town of Kamenz.
Baselitz attends the local 'Gymnasium,' in the
assembly hall of which hangs a reproduction of the
painting "Wermsdorfer Wald" (1859) by
Louis-Ferdinand von Rayski.
He reads the writings of Jakob Böhme.
At the age of 14-15, he paints portraits,
religious subjects, still lifes and landscapes,
some in a futuristic style.

In 1955, he applies to study at the Kunstakademie
in Dresden but is rejected.

1956
Passes the entrance exam to study forestry at the
Forstschule in Taranth
yet successfully applies to study at the
Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst in
East Berlin.
Studies painting under professors Walter Womacka
and Herbert Behrens-Hangler.
His friends include Peter Graf and Ralf Winkler
(later known as A. R. Penck).
After two semesters, he is expelled for
"sociopolitical immaturity."

1957
Successfully applies for a place at West Berlin's
Hochschule der Künste and continues his studies
in the class of Professor Hann Trier.
Immerses himself in the theories of Ernst-Wilhelm
Nay, Wassily Kandinsky and Kasimir Malevich.
Becomes friends with Eugen Schönebeck and
Benjamin Katz.

1958
Gives up his room in East Berlin and moves to West
Berlin.
Meets his future wife, Elke Kretzschmar.
Produces first original works in a distinct style
of his own, among them the imaginary portraits
"Uncle Bernhard"/ "Onkel Bernhard."
Starts work on the "Rayski-Head"/ "Rayski-Kopf"
series.
Visits the exhibition The New American Painting of
the Museum of Modern Art, New York, when it is put
on at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin.

1959
Hitchhikes to Amsterdam and sees "Le B'uf
écorché" (1926) by Chaim Soutine at the
Stedelijk Museum.
Stops off in Kassel on the way back to visit
documenta 2.
Gives up his studio at the Hochschule and begins
to work at home.

1960
Devotes his attentions to the subject of
"anamorphosis" and studies the art of the mentally
ill (Prinzhorn collection).

1961
Adopts the name Georg Baselitz in a tribute to his
home town.
First trip to Paris.
Baselitz and Schönebeck show their works in a
deserted house and write the accompanying "1st
Pandämonium."
Both admitted to the Hann Trier master class.

1962
The "2nd Pandämonisches Manifest" of Baselitz and
Schönebeck appears.
Marries Elke Kretzschmar.
Birth of first son, Daniel.
Beginning of friendship with Michael Werner.
Completes studies at the Akademie

1963
In 1963, Baselitz's first solo exhibition at
Galerie Werner & Katz, Berlin, caused a public
scandal; several paintings were confiscated for
public indecency.
Two of the pictures, "Big Night Down The Drain"/
"Großer Nacht im Eimer" (1962/63) and the "Naked
Man"/ "Nackter Mann" (1962), are seized by the
public prosecutor.
The ensuing court case does not end until 1965,
when the pictures are finally returned.
Writes a further manifesto in the form of the
letter "Dear Mr. W!" and completes the "P.D.
Feet"/ "P.D.-Füße" series.

1964
"Idol" pictures. Spends the spring at Schloß
Wolfsburg and produces his first etchings in the
printing shop there.
Shows the picture "Oberon" at the 1. Orthodoxon
Salon of Michael Werner.
Beginning of friendship with Johannes Gachnang.
In autumn, Michael Werner exhibits the etchings.

1965
Is awarded a six-month scholarship for the Villa
Romana in Florence. While there, he studies
Mannerist graphics. In Florence, he produces the
"Animal Piece"/ "Tierstück" pictures.
First exhibition at Munich's Galerie Friedrich &
Dahlem.
After returning to West Berlin, works until 1966
on the "Heroes"/ "Helden" group, which includes
the large-format composition "The Great Friends"/
"Die großen Freunde."

1966
Warum das Bild "Die großen Freunde" ein gutes
Bild ist exhibition and manifesto at the Galerie
Rudolf Springer in West Berlin.
Second son Anton is born.
Moves to Osthofen near Worms.
Together with his first woodcuts, produces green
pictures featuring rural motifs, the so-called
"Fracture Paintings"/ "Frakturbilder," which he
works on until 1969.

1967
Paints the picture "B for Larry"/ "B für Larry."

1968
Through early 1969, further large-format
"Foresters"/ "Waldarbeiter" pictures are produced.

1969
Taking Wermsdorfer Wald (1859) by Louis-Ferdinand
von Rayski as model, he paints his first picture
to feature an inverted motif: "The Wood On Its
Head"/ "Der Wald auf dem Kopf."
This is followed by the group of "Friends"/
"Freunde" portraits.

1970
In the coming years, exhibits regularly at
Munich's Galerie Heiner Friedrich.
Most works produced are landscapes; their theme is
the picture-within-a-picture.
At the Kunstmuseum Basel, Dieter Koepplin stages
the first retrospective of drawings and graphic
works by Baselitz.
At the Galeriehaus in Cologne's Lindenstraße,
Franz Dahlem puts on the first exhibition of
pictures with upside-down motifs.

1971
Moves to Forst an der Weinstraße. Uses the old
village school as studio.
Starts painting pictures featuring bird motifs.
For the foyer of the Neurosurgical Clinic in West
Berlin, he produces the "In The Forest Near
Pontaubert - Seurat"/ "Im Walde bei Pontaubert -
Seurat" triptych.
Exhibition at the Galerie Tobiès & Silex in
Cologne.

1972
The Kunsthalle Mannheim shows paintings and
drawings.
Exhibition of works from the 1962-1972 period at
the Kunstverein in Hamburg.
Participates in documenta 5 in Kassel.
Rents a factory hall in Musbach as studio. Uses
the fingerpainting technique, painting pictures
such as "Fingerpainting-Eagle"/
"Fingermalerei-Adler" and
"Fingerpainting-Birches"/ "Fingermalerei-Birken."
The Edition Galerie Heiner Friedrich begins to
distribute the prints under the direction of Fred
Jahn.
The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München shows
drawings and etchings.
Johannes Gachnang exhibits the 1969 "Friends"
portraits at the Goethe Institut / Provisorium in
Amsterdam.
Through 1973, self-portraits such as
"Fingerpainting-Nude"/ "Fingermalerei-Akt."

1973
At his Hamburg gallery, Hans Neuendorf exhibits
"Heroes" pictures under the title Ein neuer Typ,
1965/66.
Up until 1975, Baselitz paints the so-called
"Flags"/ "Fahnen," strips of canvas nailed to the
wall which are subsequently, and logically,
attached to a carrier canvas.

1974
At Cologne's Galerie Heiner Friedrich, Thordis
Möller stages regular exhibitions of current
work.
First prints retrospective at the Städtisches
Museum Leverkusen, Schloß Morsbroich.
To coincide with the exhibition, the first prints
catalogue - compiled by Six Friedrich - appears.
Up until 1975, Baselitz paints chiefly landscapes
based on motifs from around Deutschbaselitz.

1975
Moves to Derneburg near Hildesheim.
First trip to New York, where he sets up an
atelier for 14 days, producing two Saxon
landscapes and "Eagle"/ "Adler" drawings.
Travels on from there to Brazil to take part in
the XIII. Biennale in São Paulo. On returning to
Germany, completes the two "Bedroom"/
"Schlafzimmer" pictures.

1976
Sets up an additional studio in Florence, which he
uses until 1981.
Johannes Gachnang presents an overview of
Baselitz's works at the Kunsthalle Bern.
Retrospective at the Staatsgalerie moderner Kunst
in Munich accompanied by the first lavishly
illustrated catalogue.
Siegfried Gohr presents the Baselitz uvre at the
Kunsthalle Köln.
The "Elke" nudes series is produced. Rogner &
Bernhard publish Comte de Lautréamont's The Songs
of Maldoror with illustrations by Georg Baselitz.

1977
Works until 1979 on large-format linocuts.
Takes up a post at the Staatliche Akademie der
Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe, where he is
appointed professor in 1978.
Withdraws his pictures from documenta 6 in protest
at the participation of official representatives
of GDR painting.
Starts work on diptychs on plywood boards.

1978
Strikes up a friendship with Helen van der Meij
and has first exhibition in her gallery in
Amsterdam.
Work produced up until 1980 includes chiefly
diptychs using the tempera painting technique
(combinations of motifs) and multipart pictures
(series of motifs) and large-format individual
works such as "The Corn Gleaner"/ "Die
Ährenleserin," "Woman Clearing Away Rubble"/
"Trümmerfrau," "Eagle"/ "Adler" and "Boy
Reading"/ "Der lesende Knabe." The works become
more abstract, with scriptural elements
predominating.
Exhibition at the Gillespie-Laage gallery in
Paris.

1979
At the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Rudi
Fuchs shows the output of a single year, Bilder
1977-1978.
From March 1979 to February 1980, Baselitz works
on the 18-part "Street Picture"/ "Das
Strassenbild."
Presents the manifesto "Four Walls And Skylight Or
Better No Picture On The Wall"/ "Vier Wände und
Oberlicht oder besser kein Bild an der Wand" to
coincide with the Dortmund architecture convention
on the subject of museum design.
Exhibition of the large-format linocuts and their
accompanying "working stages" prints at the
Kunsthalle Köln.
Fred Jahn starts to exhibit the prints at his
Munich gallery.

1980
In the German pavilion at the Venice Biennale
(commissioned by Klaus Gallwitz), he shows his
first sculpture,
"Model For A Sculpture"/ "Modell für eine
Skulptur" (1979/80), which Nicholas Serota
exhibits at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London
in November.
Paints the three diptychs "German School"/
"Deutsche Schule," "The Studio"/ "Das Atelier" and
"The Family"/ "Die Familie."
Following the closure of the Galerie Heiner
Friedrich in Munich, Baselitz works together with
Hans Neuendorf.
Works on the "Beach Picture"/ "Strandbild" series
until early 1981.

1981
Takes part in the A New Spirit in Painting
exhibition staged by the Royal Academy of Arts in
London.
In Cologne, Michael Werner shows "Street Picture,"
which is subsequently presented by Edy de Wilde at
the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
The "Orange Eater"/ "Orangenesser" and "Drinker"/
"Trinker" series are produced.
Up until 1987, maintains an additional atelier in
Castiglione Florentino near Arezzo.
Michael Werner exhibits the "The Girls From Olmo"/
"Mädchen von Olmo" and "Drinker" pictures, and in
subsequent years puts on regular exhibitions of
current works in Cologne.
First New York exhibition staged by Xavier
Fourcade.

1982
Exhibitions at the galleries of Ileana Sonnabend
in New York and Young Hoffmann in Chicago.
Takes part in documenta 7 in Kassel. In the
Zeitgeist exhibition in Berlin, the "Man In Bed"/
"Mann im Bett" series is featured.
Ralf Winkler (A. R. Penck) publishes the first
issue of his periodical Krater & Wolke, which is
dedicated to Georg Baselitz;
devotes an increasing amount of his time to
sculpture.
Exhibitions at the galleries of Anthony d'Offay
and Leslie Waddington in London.

1983
The major composition "Dinner in Dresden"/
"Nachtessen in Dresden" is produced.
Up until the end of 1984, Christian motifs figure
most prominently in his work.
Sculpture exhibitions at the Galerie Michael
Werner in Cologne.
At the Musée d'Art Contemporain in Bordeaux,
Jean-Louis Froment presents the first overview of
Baselitz's sculptural work.
Participates in the Expressions: New Art from
Germany exhibition, which starts at Saint Louis
Art Museum and subsequently tours the US.
Detlev Gretenkort joins the artist as secretary
and archivist. Baselitz completes the major
composition "The Brücke Choir"/ "Der
Brückechor."
Retrospective staged by the Whitechapel Art
Gallery in London,
which is later to be seen at the Stedelijk Museum
in Amsterdam and the Kunsthalle Basel.
Moves from Karlsruhe to take up a new
professorship at the Hochschule der Künste
Berlin.

1984
"The Abgar Picture"/ "Das Abgarbild" series.
At the Kunstmuseum Basel, Dieter Koeppelin curates
an exhibition of drawings from 1953-1983, which is
subsequently also to be seen in other cities.
First exhibition at the Mary Boone Gallery in New
York in association with Michael Werner.
Retrospective prints exhibitions at the Staatliche
Graphische Sammlung, Neue Pinakothek in Munich,
which is later put on by Rainer Michael Mason at
the Cabinet des estampes in Geneva.
The Vancouver Art Gallery shows pictures from
1966-1984. Sabine Knust takes on distribution of
the prints.

1985 
Completes the painting "The Night"/ "Die Nacht."
At the Bibliothèque National in Paris, Françoise
Woimant shows the prints retrospective, to which
an overview of the sculptures produced to date is
added.
Produces the "Mother And Child"/ "Mutter und Kind"
series of pictures.
For the Kunsthalle Bielefeld and Kunstmuseum
Winterthur, Ulrich Weisner designs the Vier Wände
exhibition, at which a selection of Mannerist and
African art works feature alongside the artist's
own works.
Writes the "Painter's Equipment"/ "Das Rüstzeug
der Maler" manifesto.
1986
Completes the two "Pastoral"/ "Pastorale"
pictures, which are subsequently shown in the Mary
Boone Gallery in New York.
Retrospective at the Galerie Beyeler in Basel.
Exhibition of the so-called "Fight Motifs"/
"Kampfmotive" at the Henie-Onstad Kunstcenter in
Høvikodden near Oslo.
In recognition of his artistic achievements, he is
awarded the Kaiserring by the City of Goslar.
The encomium is delivered by Klaus Gallwitz.
"Trees"/ "Bäume" exhibition at the Wiener
Sezession.
The "Greetings From Oslo"/ "Gruß aus Oslo"
sculpture is produced in memory of the trip to
Norway.

1987
Review of sculptures and accompanying drawings at
the Kestner Gesellschaft in Hannover.
Spends three months working on the "Anna
selbdritt" appliqué. Pastorale, Gemälde und
Zeichnungen exhibition at the Museum Ludwig in
Cologne.
Studio in Imperia on the Italian riviera.
"Painter's Pictures"/ "Malerbilder" series.
"Painter's Equipment" lecture in Amsterdam and
London.

1988
The sculpture "Tragic Head"/ "Tragischer Kopf" and
the "The Motif"/ "Das Motiv" series of pictures
are produced.
Christos Joachimides curates a retrospective of
1965-1987 works at the Sala d'Arme di Palazzo
Vecchio in Florence, which is later shown at the
Hamburger Kunsthalle.
At the Städel in Frankfurt, Klaus Gallwitz shows
the Der Weg der Erfindung exhibition, which sets
early works against the later sculptures.
After a year's work, Baselitz completes "Painter's
Pictures." The Motif exhibition at the Kunsthalle
Bremen.
Gives up his professorship at the Hochschule der
Künste Berlin.
Works until mid-1989 on the "Folk Dance"/
"Volkstanz" series of pictures. The first
monograph - compiled by Edward Quinn with a text
by Andreas Franzke - appears.

1989 
The title Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres is conferred upon Baselitz by French
Minister of Arts Jack Lang.
Takes part in the Bilderstreit exhibition in
Cologne.
To coincide with this, Michael Werner shows the
various stages in the production of the
large-format coloured woodcut "Ciao America."
Baselitz paints the twenty-part picture "'45" and
spends a year working on the "Women Of Dresden"/
"Dresdner Frauen" series of sculptures.
Both works echo Baselitz's memories of the Second
World War. Woodcuts retrospective at the
Kunsthalle Bielefeld.

1990 
The Galerie Michael Werner in Cologne shows the
"'45" picture.
Exhibition at the Fundació Caixa de Pensions in
Barcelona and in Madrid.
At the Anthony d'Offay Gallery in London, the
"Folk Dance" pictures are exhibited.
At the Nationalgalerie im Alten Museum in Berlin,
the first major exhibition of Baselitz's works on
GDR soil is staged.
Werner Schade shows drawings from the
Kupferstichkabinett in Basel and privately owned
pictures from Berlin.
Harald Szeeman organizes the most extensive
exhibition of paintings to date at the Kunsthalle
Zürich, which later moves on to the Kunsthalle
Düsseldorf.
At the Pace Gallery in New York, Arnold Glimcher
shows the "Women Of Dresden" group of sculptures
and the "'45" picture.
Baselitz edits issue #7 of the Krater & Wolke
periodical, which is dedicated to A. R. Penck.
Michael Werner publishes the artist's book
Malelade featuring poems and 41 etchings by
Baselitz, which is exhibited at New York's Museum
of Modern Art in 1991.

1991 
Delivers the "Painter's Equipment" lecture in
Paris to coincide with Lucio Amelio's presentation
of the "Woman From The South"/ "Frau aus dem
Süden" sculpture at Ameliobrachot Pièce Unique.
Participates in the Metropolis exhibition in
Berlin.
Start of the "Picture About One"/ "Bildübereins"
series comprising 39 picture, on which he works
until 1995.
Prints retrospective from the Cabinet des estampes
collection in Geneva,
which is also shown at the IVAM Centre Julio
Gonzáles in Valencia, London's Tate Gallery, and
the Malmö Kunsthall.

1992 
Resigns his membership of the Akademie der Künste
in Berlin.
In Berlin, Philippine Rothschild presents the 1989
Bordeaux "Château Mouton Rothschild" boasting a
label designed by Baselitz.
Retrospective of works from 1964-1991 in the
Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung in Munich,
which is subsequently taken on by the Scottish
National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and
the Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig in
Vienna.
Series of imaginary portraits of women on a black
ground. Appointed professor at the Hochschule der
Künste Berlin once again.
"Somersaults Are Also Movement And Fun To Boot"/
"Purzelbäume sind auch Bewegung und noch dazu
macht es Spaß" lecture at the Münchner Podium in
den Kammerspielen on the subject of "Talking About
Germany."

1993
Designs the set for Harrison Birtwistle's opera
"Punch and Judy," staged under the direction of
Pierre Audi at the Dutch Opera in Amsterdam.
Exhibition providing an overview of the past three
years' work at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
in Humlebæk, Denmark.
Takes part in the International Pavilion at the
Venice Biennale with the "Male Torso"/
"Männlicher Torso" sculpture, accompanied by
oversized drawings.
The Musée Nationale d'art moderne Centre Georges
Pompidou presents drawings from 1962-1992.

1994 
Baselitz designs a stamp for the French postal
service.
Exhibition of 1981-1993 works at the Saarland
Museum in Saarbrücken,
which runs concurrently to an exhibition of
sculptures 1979-1993 at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.
Writes the "Painting From The Head, On Its Head,
Or Out Of The Pot"/ "Malen aus dem Kopf, auf dem
Kopf oder aus dem Topf" manifesto for the Gotik -
neun monumentale Bilder
exhibition at the Galerie Michael Werner in
Cologne.
The "Ms. Paganism"/ "Frau Paganismus" sculpture is
shown at the Anthony d'Offay Gallery in London.
In summer, the fabric-covered "Armalamor"
sculpture is produced in Italy, and subsequently
erected in the lobby of the new Deutsche
Bibliothek building in Frankfurt.
The end of the year sees the production of the
first gold ground pictures.

1995
At the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Diane
Waldman puts on the first major retrospective to
be seen in a US museum.
The exhibition later moves on to the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art,
the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in
Washington D.C.,
and Berlin's Nationalgalerie.
In autumn, exhibition at Magasin 3 in Stockholm.
At the end of the year, starts work on a series of
family portraits based on old photographs.

1996
Spends the entire year continuing to work on the
family portraits; elements of Slav folk art
feature in some of these pictures.
Extensive retrospective at the Musée d'Art
Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
While in Italy, produces the "Sentimental Holland"
and "Mother Of The Garland"/ "Mutter der Girlande"
sculptures.
These are followed at the end of the year by the
major compositions "Us At Home"/ "Wir daheim" and
"We Visit The Rhine"/ "Wir besuchen den Rhein," in
which the entire family is assembled.

1997
The family portraits are shown at PaceWildenstein
in New York and the Dresdner Kunstverein im
Residenzschloß.
Retrospective at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in
Bologna.
The family portraits are exhibited by
PaceWildenstein at New York, and by the Dresdner
Kunstverein at the Residenzschloß Dresden.
Retrospective at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna,
Bologna.
In summer, a further series of paintings based on
motifs taken from Slav verre églomisé art is
produced in Italy.
The touring exhibition "Portraits of Elke" is
premiered at the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth.
Deutsche Bank presents its Baselitz Collection at
the Maly Manezh Exhibition Hall, Moskwa.
In 1998, the Collection can be seen at the
Städtische Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz and the
Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Baselitz completes the "Mondrian's Sister" /
"Mondrian's Schwester" sculpture.

1998
The Museo Rufino Tamayo presents the first
retrospective of Baselitz's work in Mexico City.
The oversized paintings "Friedrich's Wife On The
Abyss"/ "Friedrichs Frau am Abgrund" and
"Friedrich's Melancholy"/ "Friedrich's
Melancholie" are produced.
A one-year touring exhibition featuring works from
the Deutsche Bank Collection - "Georg Baselitz,
Künstler im Geschäftsjahr 1998" - opens at the
Klosterkirche St. Annen in Kamenz.
In New York, PaceWildenstein shows the latest
works inspired by Soviet realism.
Georg Baselitz lives and works in Derneburg and
Imperia.

==External link==

*http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/artist
Info/artist/622 actual exhibitions with Georg
Baselitz on Artfacts Georg Baselitz works are
still widely at present in various shows and
permanent collections in museums or galleries
throughout the world.

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