Georg Baselitz

Known for: inverted figurative painting; German Neo-Expressionism

Georg Baselitz — born Georg Kern, taking his name from his birthplace in Saxony — began painting inverted figures in 1969, presenting recognizable imagery upside-down in a gesture designed to force attention to the painting as object rather than illusion. His early work was confiscated by West German authorities for obscenity in 1963. He has been a central figure in German Neo-Expressionism for more than five decades and was among the first contemporary artists to sell a painting for over €1 million.