Georg Baselitz: Printmaking Mastery

In our gallery space at 14 rue du Dragon, we are presenting the highlight of the exhibition: three works from the Belle Halaine series, a monumental suite of ten provocative prints, regarded as the largest linocuts Baselitz has ever created. Each print, standing over two meters in height, depicts partially clothed, copulating couples, their forms derived from 19th-century erotic lithographs. In his signature style, Baselitz inverts the figures, disrupting any straightforward narrative and shifting the viewer’s focus to the act of mark-making itself. This inversion, a technique Baselitz has employed since 1969, resists literal interpretation, encouraging a more abstract engagement with the work.

In contrast to the bold, graphic quality of his woodcuts, Baselitz’s aquatints reveal a different facet of his printmaking. Aquatint, which involves etching into metal plates, allows for greater subtlety and tonal variation. In these works, Baselitz explores softer, more nuanced contrasts of light and shadow while maintaining the expressive power of his subject matter. The finely worked surfaces of these prints capture a range of textures—from velvety blacks to translucent grays—offering a more intimate, contemplative look at his recurring themes. Even in this quieter, more subtle form, Baselitz’s aquatints retain the emotional intensity and defiant abstraction that characterize his work.

Baselitz’s prints reflect the same artistic concerns as his paintings and sculptures: the interrogation of historical memory, the tension between figuration and abstraction, and the constant redefinition of the human form. His prints invite the viewer to engage not only with the imagery but also with the physicality of the medium—how each cut, line, or wash of ink speaks to the act of creation.