Georg Baselitz Solo exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne

For more than half a century, Georg Baselitz maintained close ties with the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen. A towering figure in German art, he played a pivotal role in giving figurative painting a new direction and sense of purpose after 1945. The collection boasts no fewer than 31 of his works – ranging from early pieces from the 1960s to the ‘Remix’ series and works from his late period. Presented in memory of the recently deceased artist, this display traces his complex artistic development across a long career.

The first Baselitz acquisition occurred in 1972. Just four years later, our institution devoted a solo exhibition to the then 38-year-old artist. Curated by Carla Schulz-Hoffmann, the show marked a turning point for the museum by shifting the focus to contemporary artistic practice and heralding an acquisitions policy geared towards living artists. The patronage of Baselitz’s earliest collector and long-standing companion, Franz, Duke of Bavaria, ensured that several of his major works entered the Munich collection. Of particular note in this regard is “The Man at the Tree” (1969), one of the first canvases to feature an upside-down figure. This inversion became the hallmark of his style while also serving as a critical reflection on recent German history.