Upside-Down World BASELITZ JETZT

[English digest of the original coverage]

By Bora Kim

The Museum der Moderne, Salzburg is proud to present a milestone exhibition exploring the lifelong artistic dedication of a master artist, focusing specifically on his Spätwerk—the profound artistic achievements realized during the later years of a career.

By inverting his subjects, the artist skillfully redirects the viewer’s attention away from conventional representation, inviting them to focus entirely on the intrinsic qualities of painting: pure color, form, and raw, expressive brushstrokes. Welcoming visitors at the entrance of the Salzburg exhibition is the prominent 2022 work, Weißes Bett, weiß.

While the artist's early works focused on heroes and myths through thin golden surfaces, and later transitioned into thick, heavily textured impastos that engaged in a raw dialogue with the world, the recent goldenen Bilder featured in this exhibition introduce an entirely different texture. Inspired by deities from Indian mythology, these figures appear much thinner, more translucent, and weightlessly suspended across the canvas, offering a serene yet powerful visual experience.