Head (Kopf)

In 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movement that emerged in the 1980s, is dramatically gestural, heroically scaled and rich in personal, psychological and historical content.