Georg Baselitz (b. 1938) is a German painter, printmaker, and sculptor known for reintroducing the human figure to postwar art through his raw, expressive style. Born Hans-Georg Kern in Deutschbaselitz, Germany, Baselitz renamed himself after his hometown in 1961. 

An early interest in German Expressionism and folk art led Baselitz, along with artist Eugen Schönebeck, to write the provocative Pandemonic Manifestos (1960–62) as a reaction to the constraints of postwar art. His first solo exhibition, in 1963, sparked public controversy when his painting Die große Nacht im Eimer was temporarily banned for obscenity. In 1969, Baselitz began painting his subjects upside down to shift perception and emphasize form over narrative, a technique that became his signature. His Helden (Heroes) series, depicting war-damaged figures, evoked Germany’s troubled history. He later expanded into large-scale painted wood sculptures, which he showcased at the Venice Biennale in 1980. Baselitz’s later work, including the Remix series (2005–08), has been purposefully self-referential, reinterpreting and restaging earlier works. Major retrospectives in recent years, including those at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC, underscore his lasting influence on modern art.