Georg Baselitz: Belle Haleine

Fascination pair of exhibitions at the Cristea Roberts Gallery of prints by Georg Baselitz.

I find Baselitz’s upside down pictures intriguing and these two shows were no exception. Upstairs was a series of large linocuts called “Belle Haleine” made in 2002 and named in reference to a work by Duchamp. Baselitz resented Duchamp’s assertion that painting was dead and here he revels in the mark making.

Each print depicts a copulating couple with the genitalia blocked out by a large white dot, thereby both hiding and highlighting the act. Because of the upside down nature of the work I did find myself playing hunt the legs at times.

Downstairs were less racy recent prints of portraits, hands and feet and deers. I didn’t get the deer ones at first then suddenly I saw them, a bit like a magic eye picture. They felt like a whole new taken on “The Monarch of the Glen”.

Closed 22 December 2023


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Guardian


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