Georg Baselitz obituary

Georg Baselitz, the German painter and sculptor known for his provocative, expressionistic works and his iconic upside-down paintings, has died at the age of 88. The article traces his life from his childhood in war-torn Germany, through his early career as a rebellious artist in divided Berlin, to his rise as an international art star. It highlights his 1961 manifesto poster "Pandemonium I," his rejection of American abstraction, and his controversial 1963 exhibition that was raided by police for its explicit content.

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

Georg Baselitz, the influential German painter and sculptor, died on 30 April at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, he grew up amid the ruins of Nazi Germany and later adopted his surname from his birthplace. Expelled from the East Berlin Academy for "sociopolitical immaturity," he moved to West Berlin, where he rejected both gestural abstraction and Expressionism. His first solo exhibition in 1963 was shut down for obscenity. In 1969 he pioneered his signature inverted paintings, turning subjects upside down to sever image from representation. He also created large carved sculptures using axes and chainsaws. His later series, from 2014 onward, are considered his most astonishing work, culminating in a sustained focus on his wife, artist Elke Kretzschmar.

Georg Baselitz, artist who turned painting upside down, 1938–2026

Georg Baselitz, the German painter, sculptor, and printmaker known for turning his canvases upside down, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in Saxony in 1938, he witnessed the bombing of Dresden as a child, an experience that shaped his artistic vision. Expelled from art school in East Berlin, he moved to West Berlin and adopted the name Baselitz. His first solo exhibition in 1963 was deemed obscene and confiscated. In 1969, he created his first upside-down painting, which became his signature. He rose to international prominence as a neo-expressionist in the late 1970s and 80s, represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1980, and continued working until his death. A recent series of his paintings will be shown at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice from May to September 2026.

The Box Shutters in Los Angeles After Nearly Two Decades

The Box, a pioneering Los Angeles gallery known for its nonprofit-style support of experimental and performance art, has announced its closure after nearly two decades. Founded in 2007 by Mara McCarthy, the gallery’s final exhibition featured late California painter Wally Hedrick, and a closing event will include a fashion show by Johanna Went. Mara McCarthy cited the shifting market for her father Paul McCarthy’s work and the loss of family homes in the Eaton Fire as factors behind the decision.

Remembering Raghu Rai, Jack Thornell, and Jarvis Rockwell

Hyperallergic's weekly 'In Memoriam' column honors eight recently deceased figures from the art world, including Indian photojournalist Raghu Rai (1942–2026), Argentine abstract painter Ides Kihlen (1917–2026), Israeli painter and activist Yair Garbuz (1945–2026), British photographer Mark Gerson (1921–2026), Japanese art collector Kurt Gitter (1937–2026), Danish antiquities dealer Ittai Gradel (1965–2026), indigo textile artist Leigh Magar (1968–2026), and Kenyan muralist Patrick Mukabi (1967–2026). Each entry summarizes their life, career highlights, and contributions to visual art and photography.

At 77, Painter Archie Rand Is Still Telling New Stories

At 77, painter Archie Rand continues to create vibrant, narrative-driven works from his expansive Brooklyn studio. A new exhibition of his "Heads" series at Jarvis Art, co-curated by Max Werner and Lindsay Jarvis, features paintings that plunge viewers into the middle of unfolding stories, such as "Duck" (2025), where children sail a catboat through rough seas. Rand describes his process as chasing what lies "around the corner" in his compositions, prioritizing the mystery of the background over the central figures.

Art Events May You Cannot Miss in London

An Artlyst guide highlights several major art exhibitions opening in London in May 2026. Key shows include 'Zurbarán' at the National Gallery (the UK's first major monographic exhibition of the Spanish master in over 30 years), 'Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific' at the V&A (a collaboration with QAGOMA featuring 40 artists), a James McNeill Whistler retrospective at Tate Britain (the first major European show in 30 years), and 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' at the Wallace Collection. Photo London is also moving to Olympia this year.

The Great Lone Wolf of Art

Der große Einzelgänger der Kunst

Georg Baselitz, the German painter known for his radical, figurative works and iconic upside-down motifs, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, Saxony, he fled East Germany for West Berlin in 1957 after being expelled from art school for "socio-political immaturity." Baselitz rose to international fame with his expressive, fractured depictions of the human figure, famously inverting his compositions starting with "Der Wald auf dem Kopf" (1969). He also worked as a stage and costume designer for operas by Harrison Birtwistle, György Ligeti, and Richard Wagner.

Simply divine: the extraordinary supernatural visions of Francisco de Zurbarán

Francisco de Zurbarán, one of the three great Spanish 17th-century painters alongside Velázquez and Murillo, is finally receiving his first solo exhibition in the UK at the National Gallery in London. The show highlights his distinctive style of religious painting, characterized by stark chiaroscuro, sculptural realism, and a meditative stillness that makes the immaterial seem tangible. Works such as his crucified Christ and The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco exemplify his ability to depict visions and inner spirituality, often commissioned by powerful religious foundations in Seville during the Counter-Reformation.

Archibald prize 2026: Jacob Collins portrait wins the Packing Room prize as finalists revealed

The Packing Room prize for the 2026 Archibald Prize has been awarded to Sean Layh for his portrait of actor Jacob Collins, titled 'The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke'. The prize, worth $3,000, is chosen by Art Gallery of NSW staff who unpack and hang the exhibition. Layh, a self-taught Melbourne-based painter, drew inspiration from Collins' performance as Hamlet in a 2024 Melbourne Shakespeare Company production. The Archibald Prize main announcement, along with the Wynne and Sulman prizes, will take place on 8 May, with finalists including portraits of Bondi shooting hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, journalists Virginia Trioli and Jan Fran, surfer Layne Beachley, and artist Khaled Sabsabi.

Katherine El-Salahi, anti-apartheid activist, anthropologist and publisher, 1945–2026

Katherine El-Salahi, an anti-apartheid activist, anthropologist, and publisher, has died at age 81. Born Katherine Levine, she studied at Cambridge and SOAS before joining the clandestine group London Recruits in 1970, carrying out leaflet bomb propaganda and running guns into South Africa. She later became instrumental in the career of her husband, Sudanese painter Ibrahim El-Salahi, organizing his landmark 2013 retrospective at Tate Modern, building his archive, and securing gallery representation with Vigo Gallery.

George Baselitz, Purveyor of the Tortured Male Genius Myth, Dies at 88

Georg Baselitz, the influential German Neo-Expressionist painter known for his emotionally charged, often violent works and his controversial statements about women artists, has died at age 88. His final paintings will be shown in the exhibition "Eroi d’Oro" at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice starting May 6. Baselitz rose to prominence with his "Heroes" series of monumental male soldiers and his signature "upside down" paintings, which forced viewers to focus on painterly gesture over representation. He was a key precursor to Germany's Neue Wilde movement and confronted Germany's World War II trauma in works that combined expressionistic brutality with Wagnerian grandeur.

Georg Baselitz – a life in pictures

Georg Baselitz, the German painter known for his raw, expressive works and inverted imagery, has died at age 88. Born in 1938 in Deutschbaselitz, he lived through Nazi Germany and East German communist rule, experiences that deeply shaped his art. The Guardian's obituary traces his life through photographs, from his early years to major exhibitions at Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube, and the Serpentine, highlighting key works such as 'Das Grosse Pathos' (1966) and his 2024 series 'A Confession of My Sins'.

Zurbarán review – ecstatic visions, primitive surrealism … and the finest loincloths ever painted

The Guardian reviews a major exhibition of 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán, highlighting his visionary and surrealist qualities. The show features works such as "The Apparition of Saint Peter to Saint Peter Nolasco" (1629), newly attributed paintings including a giant mask, and iconic pieces like "The Crucified Christ" and "Saint Serapion," all drawn from collections including the Prado and the National Gallery, London. The review emphasizes Zurbarán's ability to paint supernatural subjects with naturalistic conviction, his exquisite rendering of fabrics—especially loincloths—and his influence on modern artists like Salvador Dalí.

A brush with... Andrew Cranston—podcast

This episode of 'A brush with...' podcast features Scottish painter Andrew Cranston, born in 1969 in Hawick. Cranston discusses how his work draws on personal experiences—childhood memories, family recollections, and recent rituals—filtered through the painting process. His pictures are rich with references to art history, cinema, poetry, and television, and he often paints on the covers of old hardback books. The conversation covers his influences (Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Paul Klee, Pierre Bonnard, Winifred Nicholson, writers Hugh MacDiarmid and Elizabeth Bishop, filmmakers Nicholas Roeg and Dennis Potter), his studio life, and his answer to 'what is art for?' The episode is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects.

Valerio Adami | Valerio Adami @Miart 2026 (2026) | Art & Prints

Valerio Adami, a prominent Italian painter born in 1935, is offering a new acrylic-on-canvas work titled "Valerio Adami @Miart 2026" (2026) through Dep Art Gallery. The painting, sized 198 × 147 cm, is a unique piece accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Adami is known for his graphic, comic-inspired narrative figuration, with works held in major museums including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Exhibition | William Turnbull, 'Origins (1946–1959)' at Karma, Chelsea, New York, United States

Scottish artist William Turnbull (1922–2012) is the subject of a new exhibition titled 'Origins (1946–1959)' at Karma gallery in Chelsea, New York. The show surveys Turnbull's early career, focusing on the transformative period after World War II when he moved between Surrealist Paris and Abstract Expressionist New York. It features key works such as the sculpture 'Horse' (1946), inspired by a Parthenon marble at the British Museum, and 'Playground (Game)' (1949), reflecting his interest in phenomenology and movement. The exhibition traces his evolution from an illustrator and Slade School student to a sculptor and painter who engaged elemental forms like the horse, standing figure, and human head.

Exhibition | Bùi Thanh Tâm, 'Here on and after' at Eli Klein Gallery, New York, United States

Eli Klein Gallery in New York is presenting "Bùi Thanh Tâm: Here on and after," the Hanoi-based artist's first solo exhibition in the United States. The show features 13 new and recent paintings that explore Vietnam's colonial history, the aftermath of war, and the persistence of memory. Tâm, a leading Vietnamese painter of the postwar generation, incorporates traditional folk woodblock prints—Đông Hồ, Hàng Trống, and Kim Hoàng—into layered, collaged works. The sunflower emerges as a central symbol of resilience and rebirth, influenced by Anselm Kiefer and Francis Bacon, while addressing trauma from French colonialism to Agent Orange. The exhibition includes series such as "Searching for the Sunflower," "Hello. God is here," "Utopia," and "Mutant," each examining themes of healing, endurance, and cultural transformation.

Venice, Here We Come

Hyperallergic's newsletter previews the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale, noting the charged political climate that may overshadow the art. It highlights the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, and includes a guide to national pavilions, collateral events, and notable exhibitions in Venice. The edition also features a studio visit with 93-year-old artist Joan Semmel, an interview with Lebanese artist Tania El Khoury about her "revenge art," and news about Barbara Chase-Riboud declining to represent the US at the Biennale, a $116M gift to the National Gallery of Art, and the death of Argentine painter Ides Kihlen at 108.

Sur Arte Radio et dans une expo, l’enquête d’Adrianna Wallis sur les traces de sa grand-mère peintre spoliée par les nazis

Artist Adrianna Wallis (born 1981) discovers that her paternal grandmother, painter Diane Esmond (1910–1981), was a victim of Nazi looting during World War II. After being contacted by historians Patricia Helletzgruber and Sophie Juliard, Wallis learns that much of Esmond's work was systematically destroyed by the ERR, the Nazi organization responsible for art theft in occupied countries. This revelation sparks a personal investigation that becomes a podcast for Arte Radio titled "Il restera la gravité," blending documentary, autobiographical inquiry, and sound installation. Wallis delves into archives, examining microfilms and lists that detail 46 of Esmond's paintings—each methodically described and declared destroyed, such as "Woman in blue evening dress: annihilated."

Martin Schongauer in 2 Minutes

Martin Schongauer en 2 minutes

Martin Schongauer (c. 1445–1491), the Alsatian painter, draftsman, and engraver, is celebrated as the greatest German copperplate engraver before Albrecht Dürer and one of the first artists to achieve pan-European fame in his lifetime. The article outlines his life and career, from his early training in his father's goldsmith workshop in Colmar to his studies at the University of Leipzig and travels through Flanders, where he absorbed the influence of Rogier van der Weyden and Dirk Bouts. It highlights his 116 copper engravings, signed with the monogram 'M+S', which elevated engraving to a high art and circulated from Spain to Bohemia, inspiring Dürer and the young Michelangelo. Key works discussed include the painting 'La Vierge au buisson de roses' (1473) and the engraving 'La Tentation de saint Antoine' (c. 1470–1475).

Must-See: Rosa Loy Finds a Durable Form of Togetherness

Rosa Loy, a German painter associated with the New Leipzig School, presents a new body of work at a solo exhibition that explores themes of togetherness, collaboration, and female solidarity through her signature figurative, dreamlike style. The show features large-scale paintings and works on paper that depict pairs or groups of women engaged in shared activities, rendered in muted earth tones with subtle surrealist undertones.

'You Must Change Your Life' at GRIMM, New York, United States on 26 Jun–7 Aug 2026

GRIMM gallery in New York presents "You Must Change Your Life," a group exhibition curated by Tom Morton, running from June 26 to August 7, 2026. The show features an international roster of painters and sculptors including Alexander Tovborg, Elinor Stanley, Sophie Ruigrok, Sara Rossberg, Jhonatan Pulido, Ken Kiff, Matthew Day Jackson, Ted Gahl, Gabriella Boyd, Anderson Borba, Kinga Bartis, Mahesh Baliga, and Charles Avery. The exhibition takes its title from the final line of Rainer Maria Rilke's poem "Archaic Torso of Apollo" (1918), exploring themes of how the past speaks to the present, the animation of materials, the fragment as synecdoche, and the transformative power of visual contemplation.

Remembering James Hayward, LA’s Adored Cowboy Painter

Abstract painter James Hayward, known for his monochromatic oil and wax impasto works, died last week at age 82. A legendary figure in the LA art scene, Hayward was equally celebrated for his magnetic personality, ribald humor, and storytelling. He rose to prominence in 1977 when included in the group show "Less is More" at Sidney Janis Gallery in New York, and was admired by art-world giants such as Dave Hickey, Chris Burden, Nancy Rubins, Ed Moses, and Mike Kelley. Hayward also taught at colleges across the country, including a guest seminar at the University of Southern California, and was a longtime supporter of the LA contemporary art magazine Artillery.

Renée Levi to transform London’s Hayward Gallery with Audemars Piguet commission this fall.

Swiss painter Renée Levi will create a large-scale two-panel painting for the façade of London’s Hayward Gallery this fall, co-commissioned by the gallery and Audemars Piguet Contemporary. The installation, on view from September 23 to November 15, marks the watch brand’s art programme’s first painting commission and Levi’s first major public commission in the U.K.

At Yale: the commercial empire within the British empire

The Yale Center for British Art presents 'Painters, Ports, and Profits,' an exhibition of 115 items spanning a century of art and history, focusing on the East India Company's commercial empire. The show includes paintings, prints, drawings, books, and artifacts such as a 37-foot watercolor scroll of Lucknow (1826) and works by Indian artist Gangaram Chintaman Navgire Tambat, who emerges as the artistic star with 20 pieces. It also features prints of the company's opium factory and 'The Opium Fleet Descending The Ganges' by Walter Stanhope Sherwill, highlighting the company's role in the Opium Wars with China.

Giovanni Segantini at the Marmottan Monet Museum: our photos from the exhibition on the painter of the Alps

The Marmottan Monet Museum in Paris has opened a major retrospective of Giovanni Segantini, an Italian painter known for his Symbolist and Divisionist Alpine landscapes. Titled "I Want to See My Mountains," the exhibition runs from April 29 to August 16, 2026, and features over 60 works including oil paintings, pastels, and drawings, plus around 30 works on paper from European collections. Curated by Gabriella Belli and Diana Segantini, the show traces Segantini's artistic journey from his early days in Italy to his time in the Engadine Valley in Switzerland, where he found inspiration in mountain landscapes. The exhibition is divided into ten sections and also includes a contemporary tribute to Anselm Kiefer, whose works create a dialogue with Segantini's vision.

Review: Manet-Morisot exhibition is a deep dive into artistic ways of seeing, making

The Cleveland Museum of Art's spring exhibition examines the artistic relationship between 19th-century French Impressionist painters Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, showcasing 36 paintings and seven works on paper. Organized by curator Emily Beeny of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the show is the first to closely analyze how the two artists influenced each other, correcting the historical record that long positioned Manet as the dominant figure while undervaluing Morisot's contributions. Through side-by-side juxtapositions, the exhibition reveals that Manet may have taken more from Morisot than she from him, highlighting their collaborative and competitive dialogue over 15 years.

‘Street culture is about revolution’: Brazilian ‘hip-hop’ painter Paulo Nimer Pjota

Brazilian artist Paulo Nimer Pjota, now 37, is preparing for his first UK institutional exhibition, 'Encantados (Enchanted),' at the South London Gallery. The show features 11 new paintings on canvas alongside a large wall drawing, drawing on imagery from ancient civilizations, Brazilian folklore, art history, and children's literature. Pjota, who began painting at age 12 and sold his first work at 15, describes his process as akin to a hip-hop producer sampling diverse sources. His background includes graffiti and hip-hop culture in São José do Rio Prêto, where he trained at a local hip-hop school and collaborated with renowned Brazilian graffiti artists like Os Gêmeos, Ise, and Nunca.

The Prince of Italian Pop Art Smiles Again

Lévy Gorvy Dayan gallery is presenting a new exhibition that offers fresh insights into the work of Domenico Gnoli, the Italian painter known for his meticulous, oversized depictions of everyday objects and figures. The show highlights both his perfectionist technique and a playful, goofy side to his caricatures of reality, capturing the essence of la dolce vita.