ART CITIES:Paris-Georg Baselitz

Georg Baselitz’s Atelier,  Photo Ulrich Ghezzi Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London/Paris/SalzburgGeorg Baselitz is one of Germany’s most celebrated living artists, with a distinguished career spanning over 50 years. In searching for alternatives to the strongly narrative art of Social Realism and Abstract painting, he became interested in art considered to be outside of the mainstream of Modernism. In 1963 Baselitz’s first solo exhibition at Galerie Werner & Katz, Berlin, caused a public scandal and several paintings were confiscated by the East German authorities claiming that they were publicly indecent.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac Archive

Georg Baselitz in his solo exhibition “Descente” at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris presents new works, 5 groups of works, comprising 40 paintings and many works on paper. The works are stylistically and iconographically linked to the fragmented self-portraits known as the “Avignon” series, which was shown at the 2015 Venice Biennale.  Two of Baselitz’s concerns were the notions of “Late work” and “Age”, with particular reference to the historical decision of the city of Avignon to reject the donation of a series of late works by Pablo Picasso. As Baselitz said “I have been looking at Picasso’s late works. Avignon. […] At the time Picasso had reached his lowest point. Nobody wanted these later paintings. Arman and Christo did their thing in Paris whereas Picasso was absent. If you’re getting old you keep asking yourself: Am I still part of it, or are the others already ahead of me?” Baselitz shows different groups of works: a series, which directly refer to Marcel Duchamp’s painting “Nude Descending a Staircase” (1912), abstract-like portraits of painter Ferdinand von Rayski, works that reference Otto Dix’s painting “Die Eltern des Künstlers”  (1924), portraits of his wife Elke as well as works that revisit his own painting “Die Großen Freunde” (1965). The works echo each other, offering an impressive insight into the intimate settings that have become characteristic of his practice in the last years. In these new works Baselitz touches upon his childhood and youth, his artistic beginnings, the characters of his Dresden homeland as well as his wife Elke and the artist himself. In the last years he has always stayed close to his own iconography, yet in these works he radically innovates his painting process. Marcel Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase” (1912) is generally considered to be a departure from painting, an ending, and at the same time a new beginning. Baselitz considers this work as being completely stolen from Picasso. Last year, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm held the important exhibition “Georg Baselitz: The Heroes” (11/11/16-19/2/17) of almost all the works of Baselitz’s legendary series “Heroes” and “New Types”, which are now widely regarded as key examples of German art of the ‘60s.  The exhibition included “Die Großen Freunde” from 1965, which Baselitz revisits in the Pantin exhibition.

Info: Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 69 Avenue Du Générap Leclerc, Pantin, Paris, Duration: 2/4-1/7/17, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, http://ropac.net

Georg Baselitz, Zero Dom, 2015, Bronze patinated, app. 630 kg, 301,5 x 164 x 151 cm, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Georg Baselitz, Zero Dom, 2015, Bronze patinated, app. 630 kg, 301,5 x 164 x 151 cm, © Georg Baselitz, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Georg Baselitz, Die italienische Treppe, 2017, Oil on canvas, 250 x 148 cm Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Georg Baselitz, Die italienische Treppe, 2017, Oil on canvas, 250 x 148 cm, © Georg Baselitz, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Georg Baselitz, Wer alles? Was alles?, 2016, Oil on canvas, 410 x 300 cm, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Georg Baselitz, Wer alles? Was alles?, 2016, Oil on canvas, 410 x 300 cm, © Georg Baselitz, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Georg Baselitz, Ohne Titel, 2016, Ink pen and watercolor on paper, 66,2 x 50,3 cm, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Georg Baselitz, Ohne Titel, 2016, Ink pen and watercolor on paper, 66,2 x 50,3 cm, © Georg Baselitz,Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg

 

 

Georg Baselitz, Runter die Treppe, 2016, Oil on canvas, 200 x 140 cm, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg
Georg Baselitz, Runter die Treppe, 2016, Oil on canvas, 200 x 140 cm, © Georg Baselitz, Photo: Jochen Littkemann, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London/Paris/Salzburg