Georg Baselitz, Albert Oehlen, Martin Kippenberger, on the UPPER EAST SIDE

James Kalm felt like yelling “THE GERMANS ARE COMING…THE GERMANS ARE COMING…”. This program is a forty minute strolling extravaganza through three concurrent painting shows that represents a major hunk of German painting from the last thirty years. Michael Werner presents “Georg Baselitz: 1977-1992” a selection of large mixed media paintings many on wood panel, and drawings. This period represents the beginning of the artist’s dramatic ascent to world wide recognition as a major force in contemporary art. “Albert Oehlen: Grau” at Nahmad Contemporary brings together works created between 1997 and 2008, all in tones of gray. These paintings are a creative antithesis from the “switch” paintings Oehlen was simultaneously producing using color, computer design, and digital printing and might be seen as a painterly pallet cleanser. “Martin Kippenberger: Hand Painted Pictures” at Skarstedt is a display of works all created in 1992. Mining his own personality and the persona he’s very consciously created, Kippenberger plays out an endlessly diverse set of compositions and poses all rendering himself as artist, victim, hero, and the embodiment of pathos. This program was recorded December 14, 2017. A musical introduction is provided by the West Village Quartet.