Georg Baselitz, Influential German Artist, Has Died Aged 88

Georg Baselitz, the German painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker, has died at the age of 88. Thaddaeus Ropac confirmed the artist's death on April 30. Born Hans-Georg Kern in 1938, he was a significant figure in post-war European art, renowned for challenging conventional aesthetic norms.

He is best known for his "inversion technique", where subjects were depicted upside down, intended to reframe the act of looking and emphasize the painting itself over its narrative content.

His "Hero paintings" series also marked a pivotal moment in his career, exploring themes of vulnerability and monumentality within the context of German history and identity.

A posthumous exhibition titled Eroi d'Oro, featuring Baselitz's final works, is due to open at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice on May 6, to coincide with the Venice Biennale.