With a major retrospective opening on May 8, 2019, Georg Baselitz will be the first living artist to exhibit at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice .
Baselitz - Academy examines the work of the renowned German Master in relation to the Italian historical-artistic tradition and the legacy of the academy.
Still young, Baselitz won a six-month scholarship and left Germany to live and work at Villa Romana in Florence. During this fundamental period, his gaze turns with particular attention to Italian Renaissance art and to the work of Giovanni di Paolo, Rosso Fiorentino and Jacopo da Pontormo.
Passionate and profound connoisseur of art history, Baselitz has repeatedly focused his research on the work of ancient masters. The exhibition highlights this interest and at the same time focuses on the artist's extraordinary influence on contemporary painting, including his iconic subject reversals that deconstruct the tradition of portraiture.
The exhibition itinerary, which features Baselitz's paintings , drawings , prints and sculptures , runs through seven rooms and is divided into sections that focus on themes such as Pontormo-inspired drawings, upside-down portraits and impressive large-scale nude paintings. . In a radical and revealing presentation, the nude room displays exceptional works that have never been exhibited together before.
Georg Baselitz said: "I am delighted to have been invited to present my work at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. I know the city and the museum well and it is a pleasure to work with Kosme de Barañano on a highly original project."
Kosme de Barañano, curator of the exhibition, commented: "Georg Baselitz is one of the most significant artists of the second half of the twentieth century and addresses the great theme of painting not by reducing it to its essence but rather by attacking its convention. We are thrilled to collaborate again. together. Baselitz has a close relationship with Italy, has visited it often in the past and has established a studio there for some time. The exhibition will reflect the influence that Italy has had on his work over the years ".
Paola Marini, former director of the Accademia Galleries said: "After the success of Philip Guston's exhibition in 2017, we are pleased to continue the journey by presenting the work of a contemporary master, Georg Baselitz, whose work has been deeply influenced by 'encounter with the history of Italian art present in the Galleries ”.
Giovanni Panebianco, General Secretary of MiBAC and Director of the Accademia Galleries, declared: "This event significantly testifies to the Museum's commitment to continuing along that path of dialogue with the contemporary art sector, which has already begun a few years ago. . The exhibition is a tribute to Georg Baselitz, one of the most innovative and influential artists of the last fifty years, intimately linked to the city of Venice, where he has repeatedly presented his works at the Biennale Arte starting with the edition of 1980, when he participated with his first provocative and highly original sculpture ".

Baselitz - Academy , promoted by the Accademia Galleries and supported by Gagosian, is a Collateral Event of the 58th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.