Georg Baselitz is universally recognized as one of the most famous and productive German artists. A great twentieth-century neo-expressionist painter, celebrated by the great international public for his oeuvre characterized by paintings with head-first figures that express an overturning of the traditional logic. The optical effect thus achieved is of paintings that at first impression seem abstract but, looked at more carefully, they reveal their true nature of figurative pictures.
In Baselitz’s artistic career the year 1965 was very important, as his studies took him to Florence, fascinating city which made him become passionate about the graphical art of Italian Mannerism. Few people imagine that this talented painter throughout the years became more interested in engraving techniques, turning into a devoted collector of the graphical works by Girolamo Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino (1503-1540). Now about fifty precious sheets of paper, over the years donated by Georg Baselitz to the Cabinet des estampes del Musèe d’art et d’histoire of Geneva, make up the central corpus of the exhibition that until 7th September 2008 will be set up at the Städel Museum of Frankfurt. “Parmigianino and his circle. Prints from the Baselitz”, this is the title of the exhibition edited by Martin Sonnabend, with the main objective of displaying to visitors the career of the great Italian mannerist. The event hosted by the German museum is essentially made up of prints and drawings from Georg Baselitz’s collection and by 25 works from the department of prints and drawings of the Städel Museum and the loans from the Albertina of Vienna and the Staatlische Graphisce Sammlung of Monaco.
A marvelous occasion that will allow spectators to get to know Girolamo Francesco Mazzola, not only as an artist, but as an artist who made a difference with his graphics becoming one of the main masters in the history of engraving. Indeed, Parmigianino was one of the first who in the 16th century used the etching technique for printed productions, as until then the main engravers used xylographs or chisels, techniques that do not allow excellent exploits. Unlike etching which entails the possibility to realize a free and creative picture, achieving even tone games, similar to paintings. Parmigianino has the credit of inventing a “free and airy” etching style, in some way opposite to the classical style imposed by other engraving techniques, which do not allow the same freedom of expression as etching. Parmigianino draws directly on the metal plate with a steel tip, as if it were a simple pencil drawing on paper, realizing a large quantity of effects through a personal graphical duct. It seems that Parmigianino’s graphical activity lasted only from 1524 to 1527, period in which the artist was staying in Rome. This brief predilection for graphics was for the artist an important research that brought out an intellectual and experimental spirit, interested in the procedure as well as in the final result. Etching, hermetic background and alchemy thus have a sort of equivalence in the art of Parmigianino, in other words he investigates the matter to seize its secrets.
It is unknown how much Georg Baselitz’s collection may be worth, but we can say with certainty that Parmigianino’s graphical works, although the graphical sector is second-rate within the economy of art, have achieved throughout the years interesting market quotations. Nothing compared to the artist’s personal record, achieved at Christie’s London in 1995 with the oil painting “Madonna and Child”, which sold for 1,633,432 euros, but anyhow sheets that have received their own economic recognition: in 1999 the etching “Madonna and Child” was sold by Christie’s London for 9,000 pounds, against an estimate included between 1,200 and 1,800 pounds. Again at Christie’s in 2002, an etching belonging to the same edition as the latter one, starting from an estimate of 2-3 thousand pounds, sold for 3,500 pounds. Furthermore, Parmigianino’s engravings were also successful in the auctions organized by Sotheby’s auction house: “Entombment” sold in 1994 for 6,500 pounds, while “Standing Sherherd” achieved 2,040 pounds.
(translated by Giorgina Arcuri)

From 8th June to 7th September 2008
PARMIGIANINO AND HIS CIRCLE. PRINTS FROM THE BASELITZ
At the Städel Museum
Schaumainkai 63 – Frankfurt
Info: info@staedelmuseum.de
Web: www.staedelmuseum.de
Opening times: Tuesday and Friday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm;
Wednesday and Thursday from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm; Closed on Mondays.
Entrance: Full 8 euros; Reduced 6 euros.