Baselitz, Georg

Born Hans-Georg Kern.

Moves with his family to Kamenz, Germany. Receives private drawing lessons from
Gottfried Zawadski.

Enrols at the Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst in East Berlin. Studies painting with Walter Womacka and Herbert Behrens-Hangler.

Is expelled from the Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst after two semesters for “social and political immaturity.”
Enrols at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in West Berlin, where he studies under Hann Trier.
Becomes friends with Eugen Schönebeck and Benjamin Katz.

Begins working on what will be his first work exhibited in public, the Rayski Head (Rayski-Kopf) series.

Adopts the name Georg Baselitz, after his birthplace.
Stages an exhibition with Schönebeck in an abandoned house in Berlin. They write “1.
Pandämonisches Manifest,” published as a poster announcing the exhibition.

Writes “2. Pandämonisches Manifest” with Schönebeck.

Galerie Werner & Katz in Berlin presents Baselitz’s first solo exhibition. Two paintings, The Big Night Down the Drain (Die grosse Nacht im Eimer, 1962–63) and The Naked Man (Der nackte Mann, 1962), are confiscated for public indecency. Legal proceedings will continue until 1965, at which time the paintings will be returned to the artist.

Produces his first etchings at the Schloss Wolfsburg workshop. Galerie Michael Werner in Berlin presents an exhibition of the etchings in the fall.

Receives a scholarship that allows him to spend six months at the Villa Romana in Florence, where he studies Mannerist prints.
Has his first exhibition at Galerie Friedrich & Dahlem in Munich.

Galerie Rudolf Springer in Berlin presents the solo exhibition Warum das Bild “Die grossen Freunde” ein gutes Bild ist, accompanied by a manifesto with the same title.

Receives the Ars Viva prize from the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie.

Inspired by the painting Wermsdorf Wood (Wermsdorfer Wald, 1859) by Louis-Ferdinand von Rayski, paints his first work with an inverted motif, The Wood on Its Head (Der Wald auf dem Kopf). This is followed by a series of upside-down portraits, titled Friends (Freunde).

The first retrospective exhibition of Baselitz’s drawings takes place at the Kunstmuseum Basel, and the Galeriehaus in der Lindenstrasse in Cologne presents his first exhibition of works with inverted motifs.

Paints the triptych In the Forest near Pontaubert – Seurat (Im Walde bei Pontaubert – Seurat) for the lobby of the Neurosurgical Clinic in Berlin.
Exhibits at Galerie Tobiès & Silex in Cologne.

Exhibitions of Baselitz’s work are presented at the Kunsthalle Mannheim, Kunstverein Hamburg, Goethe-Institut/Provisorium in Amsterdam, and Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich.
Edition der Galerie Heiner Friedrich begins to publish Baselitz’s prints.
Participates in Documenta 5 in Kassel.

Exhibits the Heroes (Helden) series (1965-68) at Galerie Hans Neuendorf in Hamburg.

The first retrospective of Baselitz’s prints is presented at the Städtisches Museum Leverkusen, Schloss Morsbroich. For this show, Six Friedrich produces the first catalogue of the artist’s prints.

Participates in the XIII Bienal de São Paulo.

Major exhibitions are presented at the Kunsthalle Bern, Kunsthalle Köln in Cologne, and Staatsgalerie moderner Kunst in Munich. The latter is accompanied by the first extensive illustrated catalogue of the artist’s work.

Begins teaching at the Staatliche Akademie der bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe, where he will be appointed professor in 1978.
Withdraws his paintings from Documenta 6 in protest against the official participation of East German painters.

Exhibits at Galerie Helen van der Meij in Amsterdam and Galerie Laage-Salomon in Paris.

Exhibitions of Baselitz’s work are held at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and the Kunsthalle Köln in Cologne.
Presents the manifesto “Vier Wände und Oberlicht oder besser kein Bild an der Wand” (Four walls and skylight or better no picture on the wall) during an architecture convention in Dortmund on the subject of museum buildings.

Exhibits his first sculpture, Model for a Sculpture (Modell für eine Skulptur, 1979-80), in the West German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The sculpture is then shown at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.

Galerie Michael Werner in Cologne exhibits Street Painting (Strassenbild), which is later exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Baselitz’s first exhibition in New York takes place at Xavier Fourcade. His work is included in A New Spirit in Painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and Westkunst at the Cologne Messehallen.

Participates in Documenta 7 in Kassel.
Exhibits at Sonnabend Gallery in New York, Young Hoffman Gallery in Chicago, and Anthony d’Offay and Waddington Galleries in London.
Baselitz’s work is included in the exhibition Zeitgeist at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.

Retrospective exhibitions are presented at the Musée d’Art Contemporain in Bordeaux and Whitechapel Art Gallery in London. The latter exhibition later travels to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and Kunsthalle Basel.
Takes up a new professorship at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin.

Solo exhibitions are presented at the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Neue Pinakothek in Munich. The latter show subsequently travels to the Cabinet des Estampes in Geneva.

The Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris presents a retrospective of the artist’s prints (an expanded version of the exhibition shown in Munich and Geneva the previous year), along with an overview of his sculptural output.
Writes the manifesto “Das Rüstzeug der Maler” (Painter’s equipment).

Receives the Kaiserring prize from the city of Goslar, and the art prize of the Norddeutsche Landesbank, Hanover.
Galerie Beyeler in Basel presents a retrospective of Baselitz’s work, and the Wiener Sezession in Vienna presents the exhibition Bäume.

Solo exhibitions are presented at the Kestnergesellschaft in Hanover and at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
Presents “Das Rüstzeug der Maler” as a lecture in Amsterdam and London.

A retrospective of Baselitz’s work is presented at the Sala d’Arme di Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and then travels to the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg.
Solo exhibitions are also presented at the Städtische Galerie in Frankfurt and the Kunsthalle Bremen.
Gives up his professorship at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin.

Named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.

The most extensive retrospective of the artist’s paintings to date is presented at the Kunsthaus Zürich and later travels to the Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf.
Solo exhibitions are also presented at the Fundació Caixa in Barcelona and Madrid, and at Anthony d’Offay Gallery in London. Baselitz’s work is exhibited for the first time in the former East Germany, at the Nationalgalerie im Alten Museum in Berlin

A retrospective of Baselitz’s prints is shown at the Cabinet des Estampes in Geneva and later travels to IVAM Centre Julio González in Valencia, the Tate Gallery in London, and Malmö Konsthall in Malmö, Sweden.

Resigns from teaching at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.
The Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung in Munich hosts a retrospective of his works created between 1964 and 1991. The exhibition later travels to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and the Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig in Vienna.
Presents the lecture “Purzelbäume sind auch Bewegung, und noch dazu macht es Spass”
(Somersaults are also movement, and fun to boot) at the Münchner Podium in den Kammerspielen in Munich.
Named Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.

Participates in the Venice Biennale with the sculpture Male Torso (Männlicher, 1993), accompanied by large-scale drawings.
The Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris presents drawings by the artist dating from 1962 to 1992.

Writes the manifesto “Malen aus dem Kopf, auf dem Kopf oder aus dem Topf?” (Painting out of my head, upside down, out of the hat?) for the exhibition Gotik: Neun monumentale Bilder at Galerie Michael Werner in Cologne.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York presents the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in an American museum. The exhibition later travels to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

The sculpture Armalamor (1994) is installed in the lobby of the new Deutsche Nationalbibliothek building in Frankfurt.

Exhibitions of the artist’s work are presented at PaceWildenstein in New York, Dresdner Kunstverein in Dresden, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Städtische Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, and Johannesburg Art Gallery.

The Museo Rufino Tamayo presents the first major exhibition of Baselitz’s work in Mexico
City.

The major retrospective Georg Baselitz: Gravures Monumentales, 1977–1999 is presented at the Musée Rath in Geneva.
Receives the Rhenus art prize.

Is awarded an honorary professorship at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.

IVAM Centre Julio González in Valencia hosts the exhibition Georg Baselitz: Escultura frente a pintura, and the artist is awarded the Julio González Prize by the government of Valencia.

Is appointed Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.

Wins the prize for best work at the First Beijing International Art Biennial, and the Niedersächsischer Staatspreis.

The Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn hosts a retrospective of the artist’s work.
Receives the Praemium Imperiale, awarded by the Japan Art Association, and is awarded honorary tenure at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence.

Receives the Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst in Vienna.

Retrospectives of Baselitz’s work are held at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, Denmark, and the Fondation de l’Hermitage in Lausanne.

The Royal Academy of Arts in London presents a retrospective of the artist’s work.
Participates in the Venice Biennale.

Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin presents the exhibition Georg Baselitz: 23. January 1938.

The Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden presents a major retrospective of the artist’s work.

Solo exhibitions take place at the Helsinki City Art Museum, Pinacoteca do Estado in São Paulo, Galerie Terminus in Munich, and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents Mrs. Lenin and the Nightingale (2008), a series of sixteen paintings by Baselitz, acquired in late 2010.
The Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris presents Baselitz sculpteur.

Georg Baselitz exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, New York.
Das Negativ-New Paintings exhibition at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg.

Georg Baselitz: Remix exhibition at the Albertina Museum, Vienna.
The Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris opens the exhibition Georg Baselitz – Le Côté Sombre.
Georg Baselitz. A Visit with Ernst Ludwigexhibition is presented at the Kirchner Museum Davos, Switzerland.
Georg Baselitz – Werke von 1968 bis 2012exhibition at the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg, Austria.

Georg Baselitz – Back Then, in Between, and Today exhibition in Haus der Kunst, Munich.
Georg Baselitz exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery in London and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris.

Georg Baselitz exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in New York, then travelling to Gagosian Gallery in Geneva and White Cube in Hong Kong.
Georg Baselitz. Sigmunds Höhle/Sigmunds Cave at the Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery in Berlin.
Georg Baselitz. Werke aus der Sammlung Frieder Burda at the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden.
Georg Baselitz solo exhibitions at McCabe Fine Art in Stockholm and the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg.

Georg Baselitz exhibitions at White Cube in London and Galerie Jordan/Seydoux – Drawings & Prints in Berlin.
Georg Baselitz Albert Oehlen exhibition at Kunstverein Reutlingen in Germany.
Georg Baselitz. The Heroes opens at the Städel Museum Frankfurt, then travels to the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Azienda Speciale Palaexpo in Rome, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Georg Baselitz exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in Athens.

Baselitz’s works are shown in Michael Werner Gallery in New York and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris.

The Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest presents Baselitz: Preview with Review.

Baselitz works on the reinterpretation of his 1959 painting Win. D and a series of portraits, E.B.

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, several exhibitions are held around the world, like those at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C., USA; Fondation Beyeler and the Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland; and CFA Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin; Maniera Baselitz, at the Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, in Dresden, Germany; and Corpus Baselitz, at the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, France.

Creates stage design for Wagner’s Parsifal at the National Theater Munich, Germany.