Georg Baselitz Karl May Bar, 2021

Karl May Bar (2021) forms part of a new series comprising portraits of the artist’s wife Elke, whose image has occupied a prominent position in the development of his practice for over 50 years. Over time, the pictorial field surrounding Elke has become increasingly abstract, as Baselitz finds new ways in which to approach established subjects. Created in his new studio in Austria, this work shows two spectral figures enthroned on a stage-like construction against a mysterious dark background. Through the works in this series, the artist engages in the struggle of representation, the inescapability of subjectivity, and the representation of the self through a significant other.