Image: Georg Baselitz (1938–2026), Avignon ade, 2017, oil on canvas, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen – Sammlung Moderne Kunst in der Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich. © Georg Baselitz 2026. Photo: Jochen Littkemann
The Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich is presenting ‘GEORG BASELITZ (1938–2026)’, an exhibition of 11 key works drawn from the holdings of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen. The presentation, held in memory of the recently deceased artist, is on view from 3 July through 8 November 2026 in Room 28 of the museum’s Sammlung Moderne Kunst.
The exhibition reflects more than five decades of engagement between Georg Baselitz and the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen. The museum’s collection contains 31 works by the artist, ranging from early paintings of the 1960s through the ‘Remix’ series and his late work. According to the institution, the selected presentation is intended to make the complex development of Baselitz’s practice visible across different periods and approaches.
Baselitz is described by the museum as one of the most important contemporary artists and as a major force in the renewal of figurative painting after 1945. His work repeatedly subjected painting itself to scrutiny: he experimented with colour, fragmented the human figure, applied paint with his fingers, engaged with historical models and revisited his own imagery in the ‘Remix’ series.
A central work in the presentation is ‘Der Mann am Baum’ (1969), among the first paintings in which Baselitz turned the figure upside down. The inverted image became a defining feature of his work. The museum also identifies the device as a possible critical reflection on German history. Other works listed among the exhibition’s highlights include ‘Fingermalerei - Adler’ (1972), ‘Piet in kurzer Hose (Remix)’ (2008) and ‘Hunde (Frühstück im Grünen)’ (1962–1966).
The selection also extends into Baselitz’s later practice. ‘Avignon ade’ (2017) depicts a figure appearing to float in a seemingly timeless and boundless space, while the sculpture ‘Zero Ende’ is presented as an image of transience. ‘Avignon ade’, an oil painting measuring 480 by 300 centimetres, entered the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen in 2018 as a gift from the artist in honour of Herzog Franz von Bayern.
The relationship between Baselitz and the Bavarian state collections began with the institution’s first acquisition of one of his works in 1972. Four years later, the institution organised a solo exhibition for the then 38-year-old artist, curated by Carla Schulz-Hoffmann. The museum describes that exhibition as a turning point that brought contemporary art more firmly into its programme and was followed by a more contemporary-oriented acquisition policy. Important works were also secured with the support of Herzog Franz von Bayern, described by the museum as a long-standing associate and early collector of Baselitz.
The exhibition is curated by Verena Hein and Carla Schulz-Hoffmann, with support from Lilith Bitzer. The Pinakothek der Moderne, at Barer Straße 40 in Munich, is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with extended hours until 8pm on Thursdays; it is closed on Mondays.
