German-born Royal Academician Georg Baselitz’s works are characterised by a sense of dynamism and raw energy which convey intense emotion. The human figure plays a central role in Baselitz’s practice. In 1969, he began to paint his subjects upside down as a way of forcing the viewer to reconsider what they were seeing. These ‘inverted’ portraits have since become a defining motif, achieving a level of abstraction whilst remaining essentially figurative. 

A prolific printmaker, Baselitz has mastered a variety of techniques, working in woodcut, linocut and etching. He has referred to his graphic work as having ‘symbolic power which has nothing to do with a painting.’  In the past ten years, as this etching demonstrates, Baselitz’s imagery has become increasingly linear and abstracted. Titled in homage to another great printmaker, Frank Auerbach, this is one of a series of prints based on self-portraits of artists that Baselitz admires, including Tracey Emin and Lucio Fontana. The varied, agitated marks pay tribute to Auerbach’s similarly emotionally charged portraits, whilst remaining true to Baselitz’s own style.

Baselitz has been the recipient of many awards throughout his career and has exhibited his work internationally. He was elected an Honourary Member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1999. In 2015 his suite of eight self-portraits were featured in the Venice Biennale and in 2017–18 a large retrospective of his work was presented at the Fondation Beyeler, Switzerland, and at the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC (an exhibition which coincided with the artist’s 80th birthday). He lives and works in Basel, Switzerland; Lake Ammersee, Germany; and Imperia, Italy.