Art
>
1 / 141
<
Volker Bradke

Volker Bradke
Volker Bradke

1966 150 cm x 200 cm Catalogue Raisonné: 133

Oil on canvas

The landscape-format painting Volker Bradke depicts a young man with horn-rimmed glasses, wearing a patterned shirt and a jacket. With a light smile on his lips, he looks past the viewer. In contrast to this, an older man and a girl in the middle distance look directly at the beholder, underlining the snapshot character of the image. Further passers-by stand or sit in front of a stone wall in the background.

The young Volker Bradke, portrayed here in larger than life size, sought to make connections in the Düsseldorf art scene of 1966, and could be found at numerous private views or art events. The photographic source image was taken by Gerhard Richter himself, at an art festival in Büdingen.

The picture was the starting point for a whole exhibition with Volker Bradke as its subject and was part of Hommage à Schmela at Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf. The series of exhibitions took place before the gallery moved to another location and comprised one-day shows by several artists – Joseph Beuys, Konrad Lueg and Sigmar Polke, amongst others.

 

Gerhard Richter's Volker Bradke exhibition took place on 13th December 1966. On a floral wallpaper installed by Konrad Lueg, Richter displayed not only the painting but also around 30 photographs, a banner and a film, all focusing on Volker Bradke.

The principle of blurring – executed here by Richter in his characteristic manner – is apparent in the blurred photographs and is also transferred into the medium of film.

For Gerhard Richter and his artist friends, Volker Bradke embodied the conformist man in the street, who the artist lifts out of normality by representing him in a large-scale oil painting, in accordance with the ideas of Pop Art.

In the exhibition this approach is raised to the level of the staging of a personality cult: paintings, photographs, banner and film are dedicated to one person. However, in this case this staged “cult” does not refer to any famous person, but to the unknown Volker Bradke. Gerhard Richter challenges the meaning of the adoration of such so-called icons and unmasks the superficiality of celebrity culture.

Notes prepared by editorial team

Christie's, London, UK: 09 February 2005

Estimate: GBP 900,000 – 1,300,000 USD 1,691,729 – 2,443,609
Sold For:
£ 960,000 (incl. buyer’s premium)
USD 1,781,076

Sotheby's, New York, USA: 14 November 2001

Estimate: USD 3,000,000 – 4,000,000
Sold For: Bought in

This artwork was shown in the following exhibitions:

This artwork is included in the following publications:

Title
Author
Date
Verborgene Schätze: Werke aus rheinischen Sammlungen
Heinzelmann, Markus (ed.)
2024

Publisher

Hatje Cantz, Berlin

Year

2024

Details

Hardback, 200 pages

ISBN

9783775757997

Language

German

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Notes

This catalogue was published on the occasion of the exhibition "Gerhard Richter. Verborgene Schätze: Werke aus rheinischen Privatsammlungen" in Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany, 5 September 2024 - 2 February 2025.

Exhibitions

More Details
Theory of Form: Gerhard Richter and Art in the Pragmatist Age
Klinger, Florian
2022

Publisher

University of Chicago Press, Chicago

Year

2022

Details

Softcover, 180 pages

ISBN

9780226347158

Language

English

Category

Monographs

Notes

Originally published in German as "Theorie der Form: Gerhard Richter und die Kunst des pragmatischen Zeitalters", 2013.

More Details
The Artwork of Gerhard Richter. Painting, critical theory and cultural transformation
Ansted, Darryn
2016

Publisher

Routledge, Abingdon

Year

2016

Details

Hardback, 244 pages

ISBN

9781472409560

Language

English

Category

Monographs

...

More Details
The Düsseldorf Art Academy. Making History since 1945
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
2015

Publisher

Deutscher Verlag, Berlin

Year

2015

Details

480 pages

ISBN

9783422073111

Language

English

Category

Monographs

...

More Details
Gerhard Richter: Editionen 1965-2013
Butin, Hubertus / Gronert, Stefan / Olbricht, Thomas
2014

Publisher

Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern

Year

2014

Editor

Butin, Hubertus / Gronert, Stefan / Olbricht, Thomas

Details

Hardback, 337 pages

ISBN

9783775735186, 3775735186

Language

German

Category

Monographs

The publication Gerhard Richter. Editionen 1965 – 2013 updates the catalogue raisonné of his editions that was published ten years earlier. This book includes additionally 35 new and hitherto unknown works

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter: Editions 1965-2013
Butin, Hubertus / Gronert, Stefan / Olbricht, Thomas
2014

Publisher

Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern

Year

2014

Editor

Butin, Hubertus / Gronert, Stefan / Olbricht, Thomas

Details

Hardback, 337 pages

ISBN

9783775735193, 3775735194

Language

English

Category

Monographs

The publication Gerhard Richter. Editions 1965 – 2013 updates the catalogue raisonné of his editions that was published ten years earlier. This book includes additionally 35 new and hitherto unknown works

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter, Panorama: une rétrospective = a retrospective
Godfrey, Mark / Serota, Nicholas / Brill, Dorothée / Morineau, Camille / Borchardt-Hume, Achim / Dickson, Amy / Haidu, Rachel / Mehring, Christine
2012

Publisher

Édition du Centre Pompidou, Paris

Year

2012

Editor

Godfrey, Mark / Serota, Nicholas / Brill, Dorothée / Morineau, Camille

Details

Hardback, 304 pages

ISBN

978-2844265746, 284426574X

Language

French, English

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

...

More Details
Gerhard Richter: Panorama: Retrospektive
Godfrey, Mark / Serota, Nicholas / Brill, Dorothée / Morineau, Camille / Borchardt-Hume, Achim / Dickson, Amy / Haidu, Rachel / Mehring, Christine
2012

Publisher

Prestel, München

Year

2012

Editor

Godfrey, Mark / Serota, Nicholas / Brill, Dorothée / Morineau, Camille

Details

Hardback, 305 pages

ISBN

9783791351896

Language

German

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

...

More Details
Gerhard Richter. Bilder einer Epoche
Schneede, Uwe M. / Butin, Hubertus / Elger, Dietmar / Rübel, Dietmar / Westheider, Ortrud
2011

Publisher

Hirmer Verlag, München

Year

2011

Details

Hardback, 214 pages

ISBN

9783777434513

Language

German

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

Gerhard Richter. Bilder einer Epoche was published on the occasion of the exhibition at Bucerius Kunstforum in Hamburg in 2011. Both the exhibition and the catalogue focus on Richter’s paintings of the 1960s

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter. Images of an Era
Schneede, Uwe M. / Butin, Hubertus / Elger, Dietmar / Rübel, Dietmar / Westheider, Ortrud
2011

Publisher

Hirmer Publishers, Munich copublished by Heni Publishing, London and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, NY and Paris

Year

2011

Details

Hardback, 214 pages

ISBN

9783777450018

Language

English

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

Gerhard Richter. Images of an Era was published on the occasion of the exhibition at Bucerius Kunstforum in Hamburg in 2011. Both the exhibition and the catalogue focus on Richter’s paintings of the 1960s

...
More Details
Die Porträts von Gerhard Richter
Moorhouse, Paul
2009

Publisher

DuMont, Köln

Year

2009

Details

Hardback, 176 pages

ISBN

9783832191542

Language

German

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

The catalogue of the exhibition Gerhard Richter. Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, London in 2009 focuses on Richter's portraiture.

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter. Portraits. Painting Appearances
Moorhouse, Paul
2009

Publisher

National Portrait Gallery Publications, London

Year

2009

Details

Hardback, 176 pages

ISBN

9781855143975

Language

English

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

The catalogue of the exhibition Gerhard Richter. Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, London in 2009 focuses on Richter's portraiture.

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter. A Life in Painting
Elger, Dietmar
2009

Publisher

University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL

Year

2009

Details

Hardback, 408 pages

ISBN

9780226203232

Language

English

Category

Monographs

Gerhard Richter has been widely regarded as a publicity shy artist. However, the biography Gerhard Richter. A Life in Painting gives an insight into Richter’s personal history as well as into the development of his artistic œuvre.

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter, Maler
Elger, Dietmar
2008

Publisher

DuMont, Köln

Year

2008

Details

Softcover, 415 pages

ISBN

9783832190651

Language

German

Category

Monographs

Notes

Corrected and extended new edition.

Gerhard Richter has been widely regarded as a publicity shy artist. However, the biography Gerhard Richter, Maler gives an insight into Richter’s personal history as well as into the development of his artistic œuvre.

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter. Portraits
Gronert, Stefan / Butin, Hubertus
2006

Publisher

Hatje Cantz, Ostildern-Ruit

Year

2006

Details

Hardback, 224 pages

ISBN

9783775717243

Language

German

Category

Monographs

Exhibitions

Gerhard Richter. Portraits is the first publication that focuses solely on Richter’s portraits, many of which have now gained both recognition and veneration across the globe.

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter. Portraits
Gronert, Stefan / Butin, Hubertus
2006

Publisher

Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern-Ruit

Year

2006

Details

Hardback, 224 pages

ISBN

9783775717250

Language

English

Category

Monographs

Exhibitions

Gerhard Richter. Portraits is the first publication that focuses solely on Richter’s portraits, many of which have now gained both recognition and veneration across the globe.

...
More Details
Gerhard Richter, Maler
Elger, Dietmar
2002

Publisher

DuMont, Köln

Year

2002

Details

Hardback, 420 pages

ISBN

9783832158484

Language

German

Category

Monographs

Gerhard Richter has been widely regarded as a publicity shy artist. However, the biography Gerhard Richter, Maler gives an insight into Richter’s personal history as well as into the development of his artistic œuvre.

...
More Details
Artistes de Colònia. Allò bell, allò sinistre
Stals, José Lebrero / Graw, Isabelle / Meinhardt, Johannes
1990

Publisher

Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultural, Barcelona

Year

1990

Details

Softcover, 139 pages

Language

English, Spanish, Catalan, German

Category

Group Exhibitions

Exhibitions

...

More Details
Gerhard Richter: Atlas
Zweite, Armin
1989
Gerhard Richter. Bilder = Paintings 1962 - 1985
Harten, Jürgen / Hering, Karl-Heinz / Honisch, Dieter / Loock, Ulrich / Ronte, Dieter / Elger, Dietmar
1986
Aspekte der 60er Jahre. Aus der Sammlung Reinhard Onnasch
Honisch, Dieter / Onnasch, Reinhard / Lindenberg, Ilona
1978

Publisher

Nationalgalerie Berlin, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin

Year

1978

Details

Softcover, 144 pages

ISBN

3496010037

Language

German

Category

Group Exhibitions

Exhibitions

...

More Details
Gerhard Richter. 36. Biennale di Venezia, Padiglione tedesco = 36. Biennale in Venedig, Deutscher Pavilion = 36. Biennale in Venice, German Pavilion
Honisch, Dieter / Helms, Dietrich / Honnef, Klaus / Ohff, Heinz / Dienst, Rolf Gunther / Schön, Rolf / Polke, Sigmar
1972

Publisher

Museum Folkwang, Essen

Year

1972

Details

Hardback, 154 pages

Language

Italian, German, English

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

...

More Details
Gerhard Richter. Arbeiten 1962-1971
Hering, Karl-Heinz / Helms, Dietrich
1971

Publisher

Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf

Year

1971

Details

Softcover, 136 pages

Language

German

Category

Solo Exhibitions

Exhibitions

...

More Details
Neuer Realismus. Baehr, Berges, Diehl, Dornehge, Froese, Hiesserer, Hödicke, Köthe, Krüll, Lausen, Lueg, Petrick, Polke, Richter, Sorge, Wintersberger
Ohff, Heinz
1967