George Baselitz’s most recent edition marks Alan Cristea’s first project with the artist. ‘Elke I – IX’ is a new series of etchings by Baselitz, one of Germany’s most celebrated living artists. Named after his wife, whose portrait is the subject of the prints, Elke remains an important motif in his work. Baselitz has made prints since 1964 and produces at least one new series a year. Prints are a significant part of his artistic practice; they have a distinct identity and are as important to him as painting, drawing, and sculpture. Baselitz has his own print studio, and continues to engage
with various technical processes, working extensively in woodcut, linocut, and etching, often on a large scale. He is responsible for all the work on the plates and the selection of color before working with a master printer on the production of the edition. He describes the resistant qualities of copper plates, wood blocks, and linoleum blocks as creative forces and has previously referred to the prints as having symbolic power.
