London Art | 13 October – 18 December 2026
Opening during Frieze London, Georg Baselitz: The Heroes 1965–66 at Thaddaeus Ropac is the first UK exhibition devoted entirely to the German artist’s breakthrough Hero paintings. It runs at the gallery’s Ely House space in Mayfair from 13 October to 18 December.
Here are five reasons to go.
1. A landmark of post-war painting
The Hero series is widely seen as one of the defining achievements of Baselitz’s early career and a landmark in post-war European painting. It set up many of the themes and motifs that shaped the rest of his work.
2. Painted at just 27
Baselitz made these paintings in an intense burst of work in 1965 and 1966, when he was only 27. Rejecting both post-war optimism and the art trends of the 1960s, he created his own figurative language to confront the realities of post-war Germany.
3. Heroes who aren’t heroic
The paintings show monumental, ambiguous figures standing or sitting aimlessly in ravaged landscapes, caught between past and present. As Baselitz put it, they are broken and ragged rather than triumphant, and that’s exactly what makes them so powerful.
4. Loans from major museums
The show brings together works lent by Tate, the Landesmuseum für Kunst, Museum Frieder Burda, Museum Küppersmühle Duisburg and the Berlinische Galerie, as well as the artist’s family and private collections. Seeing so many of these paintings together is rare.
5. A perfect Frieze week stop
Ely House is a grand Mayfair townhouse, and the show opens just as the art world descends on London for Frieze. Commercial galleries like Thaddaeus Ropac are usually free to visit.
Visit
Georg Baselitz: The Heroes 1965–66
Thaddaeus Ropac, Ely House, 37 Dover Street, London W1S 4NJ
Tuesday 13 October – Friday 18 December 2026
Nearest station: Green Park