Georg Baselitz's Final Interview and Retrospective in Florence

Georg Baselitz, who died in 2026 at age 88, gave his last interview to Artribune on the occasion of his retrospective 'Avanti!' at the Museo Novecento in Florence. The exhibition, curated by Sergio Risaliti and Daniel Blau, features 170 works including paintings, works on paper, and sculptures, with a strong focus on printmaking. Baselitz had a deep connection to Tuscany, having studied at Villa Romana in 1965 and maintained a studio in Florence and later Arezzo from 1976 to 1981. The show spans three floors and culminates with a dialogue with Ottone Rosai. A prequel exhibition at Villa Romana celebrated the residency's 120th anniversary. A concurrent exhibition of Baselitz's work will open on May 6 at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, forming his artistic testament. In the interview, Baselitz advised artists to avoid new media, politics, and state funding, and to look to the past rather than the future.