Georg Baselitz's Final Exhibition 'Back Again' at White Cube Bermondsey

White Cube Bermondsey presents 'Back Again,' a major exhibition conceived by Georg Baselitz before his death in April 2026 at age 88. The show, billed as a summation of his sixty-year career, features his signature inverted figures rendered in an uncharacteristic explosion of color, with most canvases on a gold ground—a departure from his usual blacks, grays, and earth tones. Baselitz reflects on constructing his connection to the world, himself, and his wife Elke Kretzschmar, who has been a constant presence in his work without being depicted. The exhibition includes large-scale works such as 'Sigmund fliegt mit Sex im Koffer' (2024) and 'Indische Tänze in Pittsburgh' (2025), as well as smaller pieces like 'Versuch eines Anzugs' (2025) and 'Gold ohne Hemd' (2025). Baselitz acknowledges his late style's debt to Willem de Kooning, referring to 'de Kooning' and 'de Kooning-in-the-wrong-place' as quotations. The eagle motif carries historical weight, recalling his childhood in Nazi Germany and his father's wartime service. Baselitz's 1969 inversion of the figure is noted as a pivotal formal decision that influenced generations of painters. The exhibition text by Matthew Holman quotes Baselitz on artistic pacts and the hierarchy of sky and ground. Baselitz's statement that the accumulated body of work has become the key picture is presented, though the review suggests resisting this tidy framing. The exhibition runs at White Cube Bermondsey in 2026.