Georg Baselitz: The Heroes 9 Must-See London Gallery Exhibitions During Frieze Art Week

By Paul Laster

Georg Baselitz | Thaddaeus Ropac

A pioneering German Neo-Expressionist painter, printmaker, and sculptor, Georg Baselitz is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in post-World War II contemporary art for his distinctive approach to painting and displaying his subjects upside down. Born Hans-Georg Kern, he was raised in post-war East Germany, where the trauma and destruction deeply influenced his intense and confrontational artistic style. He rejected the stiff Socialist Realism of the Soviet Union and the cold abstraction favored in the West, instead revitalizing figurative art with bold brushstrokes, rough renderings, and richly textured compositions.

Before painting his inversion phase, he developed his Heroes series, which depicts fragile, disheveled warriors wandering through devastated, post-apocalyptic landscapes. These paintings, which powerfully reflect themes of national guilt, identity, and the psychological trauma rooted in Germany’s history, are the focus of the gallery’s exhibition, “The Heroes 1965–66.” Often regarded as a key milestone in his early career and a significant moment in post-war European art, this series introduced many visual motifs, ideas, and existential themes that would influence the artist’s subsequent work. The first UK exhibition dedicated solely to this collection, this once-in-a-lifetime presentation features loans from major institutions, including Tate, Berlinische Galerie, Museum Frieder Burda, and Museum Küppersmühle Duisburg, as well as the artist’s family holdings and private collections.