Lot 649 D

The majestic bird is one of Europe's oldest national symbols and the federal eagle adorns the German coat of arms as well as the Austrian. In its symbolic significance, it is invariably associated with historical developments, which form a part of the cultural memory. As a bird of prey, it symbolises both power and strength as well as a completely independent idea of freedom.
For Georg Baselitz, the eagle evolved throughout his career as a valuable source of inspiration. It appears regularly in his oeuvre since 1962, worked in many diverse techniques. Although the artist refuses to give the motif a programmatic meaning, the repeated use in his work bears witness to a particular fascination.
The ambiguous motif can be considered from different perspectives in Baselitz' bronze editions as both profile views, as well as its flag-like body along the axis, can be rotated.
The larger than life-sized eagle stands reverently on its solid base, and its eyes miss nothing, validating its safeguarding function as scarecrow.
The title of the work also reveals the special character of the motif, which allows an association with its multi-faceted symbolic meaning.