Gerhard Richter. Beirut was published on the occasion of Richter’s first exhibition in Lebanon, at the Beirut Art Center in 2012. Both the exhibition and catalogue focus on Richter’s overpainted photographs, which he has created since the mid-1980s. Rarely seen in print, the overpainted photographs bring together the artist’s long-standing fascination with the nature of photography and the language of abstract painting. The imagery ranges from domestic and family photos to holiday snaps, landscapes, mountain ranges and studio shots. The series Museum Visit, created in 2011, features prominently, with 234 overpainted photographs taken during a typical busy day at Tate Modern, London.
The accompanying essay by Achim Borchardt-Hume considers this particular body of work and its place within Richter’s wider oeuvre, asserting that 'the photographs allow an insight into the private world of Richter, albeit an insight that is always seen – quite literally – through the veil of paint and painting”.
The bilingual English / Arabic catalogue includes a foreword by the BAC directors Lamia Joreige and Sandra Dagher. It was conceived by the artist himself and published in partnership with Beirut Art Center, Heni Publishing in London, and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König in Cologne.
...
