The Facts
On October 19, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac published an essay by art historian Margherita Antoni examining Georg Baselitz's 'Heroes' series. Created in the 1960s, the series depicts monumental, barefoot figures in torn uniforms set in devastated landscapes, challenging traditional heroic representation. The artist, then 27, painted the series during West Germany's post-war reconstruction, using damaged bodies to critique the nation's desire to forget the recent past. Baselitz recalled in 1995: 'I was born into a destroyed order; a destroyed landscape, a destroyed people, a destroyed society. And I didn’t want to reestablish an order: I’d seen enough of so-called “order”.' Antoni draws on art historian Uwe Fleckner's concept of the 'postheroic hero' to examine how Baselitz exposes the ideological fragility of monumental authority.
The Signal
The essay provides a detailed analysis of how Baselitz's 'Heroes' series challenges the conventions of heroic painting, making it a significant contribution to scholarship on post-war German art. For collectors, the series represents a key period in the artist's development, with works such as 'Mit Roter Fahne' exemplifying his engagement with political symbolism and physical vulnerability.
- Artists: Georg Baselitz
- People: Margherita Antoni, Uwe Fleckner
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac
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