WHAT

‘Sofabilder / Sofa Pictures’ is the newest exhibition at the gallery by one of Germany’s most celebrated artists, Georg Baselitz. In this exhibition, the artist presents recent paintings and drawings that focus on the central motif of the nude female form, which is loosely based on his wife, Elke. For these works, the artist used a monotype process to transfer wet paint from one canvas to another. The final products call to mind X-ray photographs or cadavers on display in glass coffins.

WHY

Through his thematic depictions and artistic skill, Baselitz inadvertently depicts the juxtaposition between life and death. His works display what is known as memento mori – symbols of skulls and decaying bodies – but his intention and focus are on the greatness of life. Intentionally evocative in its depictions, the exhibition is hauntingly captivating. The monotype technique (which was often used by the Surrealists) also introduces elements of chance to the final image and lends a ghostly, skeletal quality to the figures.