Baselitz and Vedova's friendship began in Berlin during the early 1960s when Vedova was working on his 7-part installation, Absurd Berlin Diary, supported by a DAAD grant. Their bond was rooted in mutual respect for each other's artistic styles. Baselitz had previously acquired Vedova's Universal Manifesto in 1957 from Galerie Springer, which showcased Vedova's first solo exhibition that same year. Baselitz reflects on this purchase as a significant moment, despite others favoring Franz Kline. He admired Vedova's revolutionary spirit and Expressionism, although he personally distanced himself from those ideals, finding humor in their differences. Following Vedova's death in 2006, Baselitz created a series of black-and-white tributes titled Omaggio a Vedova, which debuted at the 2007 Venice Biennale alongside Vedova's three-dimensional works. This tribute sparked the concept for the Salzburg project. In 2008, an exhibition featuring both artists' works was held at the Berlinische Galerie, further celebrating their artistic dialogue and shared history. The exhibition at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Salzburg ran from May 23 to July 11, 2015.
