Head (Kopf)
Artist
Georg Baselitz
(German, born 1938)
Date1984
MediumWoodcut on paper
DimensionsFramed: 37 1/2 × 26 3/8 × 1 5/8 inches (95.25 × 66.99 × 4.13 cm)
Credit LineGift of Charles and Leslie Hermann in honor of the 75th anniversary of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Object number2009.34
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis painting depicts a human head rendered upside down in red and pale yellow marks on a black background.Gallery LabelIn Head (Kopf), Georg Baselitz depicts his classic motif—the upside-down head—in vivid red and yellow against a black background. This intentionally raw and roughly carved woodcut expresses the elemental anguish of human existence. The inverted head seems caught in the turmoil of an upside-down world. Head further serves as a metaphor for Germany, at that time a country divided against itself and wrestling with the need to address its rich yet deeply troubled past.
Baselitz is considered one of the most important German Neo-Expressionist artists. Neo-Expressionism, an international art movement that emerged in the 1980s, is dramatically gestural, heroically scaled and rich in personal, psychological and historical content.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
