Georg Baselitz, German Painter Who Inverted Postwar Art, Dies at 88

On 30 April 2026 the Thaddaeus Ropac gallery confirmed that Georg Baselitz, German painter and sculptor, died at 88. The gallery’s obituary said he died peacefully; no cause was disclosed. A designboom release called him “a titan of contemporary painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking.”

Georg Baselitz, German artist who turned figurative painting on its head, has died, aged 88

Born Hans-Georg Kern on 23 January 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, he grew up under Nazi rule and later in the Soviet-occupied zone, later saying he was “born into a destroyed order, a destroyed landscape, a destroyed people, a destroyed society.” He was rejected by the Dresden Academy at 17, studied in East Berlin, was expelled for “sociopolitical immaturity,” and finished his training in West Berlin, encountering abstract expressionism.

The Straits Times

Baselitz’s 1963 Berlin solo show was halted when police seized “The Big Night Down the Drain” and “The Naked Man” for obscenity, thrusting him into the public eye. His 1965-66 “Hero” paintings showed battered figures as symbols of postwar trauma. In 1969 he began painting subjects upside down, stating, “An object painted upside down is suitable for painting because it is unsuitable as an object.” The inversion became his hallmark and secured his reputation as a leading Neo-Expressionist.

The Straits Times

Baselitz’s work often provoked controversy. The 1963 seizure sparked legal debate; his 1980 Venice Biennale sculpture was read by some as evoking a Nazi salute, which he denied. He also faced backlash for a widely reported claim that women “don’t paint very well.” Critics view his raw imagery as both a challenge to aesthetic norms and a stark commentary on Germany’s damaged postwar identity.

The Straits Times

By rejecting Minimalism and Conceptualism, Baselitz re-centered figurative painting in late-20th-century art. His upside-down canvases inspired German artists confronting national history, and his large wooden sculptures expanded material possibilities. Retrospectives at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Centre Pompidou and the Nationalgalerie underscore his lasting influence.

Georg Baselitz, German artist who turned figurative painting on its head, has died, aged 88

• “An object painted upside down is suitable for painting because it is unsuitable as an object,” — Georg Baselitz

The Straits Times

• “I was born into a destroyed order, a destroyed landscape, a destroyed people, a destroyed society.” — Georg Baselitz

Georg Baselitz, German artist who turned figurative painting on its head, has died, aged 88

• “I was stupid,” — Georg Baselitz

The Straits Times

• “don't paint very well” — Georg Baselitz

The Straits Times

Sources agree on the 30 April 2026 death date but differ on details: the Thaddaeus Ropac obituary says he died peacefully, while other outlets give no cause. No medical information released.

The Straits Times

Baselitz’s final series, *Eroi d’Oro*, opens at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on 6 May 2026, running through 27 September as part of the 61st Venice Biennale. A concurrent show, *Baselitz. Avanti!*, stays at the Museo Novecento in Florence until 13 September 2026.

Farewell to Georg Baselitz, among the great innovators of European painting