Georg Baselitz

Georg Baselitz is a German painter known for a bold trademark, turning his images upside down. Born in Germany in 1938, he grew up amid the ruins of the Second World War, and a sense of disruption runs through his work. In the late 1960s he began painting his figures inverted, forcing viewers to focus on the paint, color, and gesture rather than the subject.

His rough, expressive style and his refusal to make things easy made him a major figure in postwar German art. He has also worked as a sculptor, carving rough, powerful wooden figures. Provocative and prolific over many decades, Baselitz remains one of the most important and recognizable German artists of his time.