From 1969 his signature inverted figures appeared, Baselitz seeing in this a way of combining the abstract expressionistic with the figure as iconic motif. This thematic has continued to the present day in his paintings, drawings, etchings, and woodcuts.
Having worked for many years against the mainstream of contemporary art, Baselitz has firmly established his reputation internationally, along-side his influence on the young German Neo-Expressionist painters, referred to in Germany as the ‘Neue Wilden’.