Gerhard Richter
Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany
04 June 2005 – 21 August 2005
Gerhard Richter's Atlas collection of motifs, including photographs, sketches and newspaper clippings, has been modified over the years and continually expanded.
This exhibition displayed 733 sheets from Atlas.
View the complete Atlas here.
These rarely-exhibited townscapes, numbered 224 in Gerhard Richter's catalogue raisonné [CR: 224/6-10, 17-18], share one characteristic: the motifs are reduced to just a few shades of grey, reminiscent of stencil printing.
The townscapes do not show the extensive road networks as in aerial photography [CR: 171, 175–177-3, 249–251], nor do they depict the clear geometrical order that characterises Richter's pictures of architectural models [CR: 217–219]. Instead the paintings show houses closely built together. The diversity of the buildings indicates the structure of a town or city that has grown over the years.
The architectural forms were greatly simplified by the artist. Richter joins together grey-coloured fields with quick and impasto brushwork, while he foregoes any detailed elaboration.
Although the buildings are depicted in perspective, it is the use of contrast that is most striking to the beholder: lighter shades stand out, whereas darker ones fade into the background. The perspective effect generated this way seems to be of more importance than the depicted motif itself.
Gerhard Richter confirms that this series of paintings is above all about painterly qualities and that identifying the location of what is depicted plays only a minor role: "towns and mountains from a bird's-eye view (abandonment of the conception of interesting content and illusionistic painting; a spot of paint should be a spot of paint, and the motif needn't have a message or allow for interpretation)."1
1 'Work Overview', 1968 in: Gerhard Richter: Text. Writings, Interviews and Letters 1961–2007, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009, p. 53
Notes prepared by editorial team
Sotheby's, London, UK: 28 June 1995
GBP 38,000 |
USD 60,365 |
Olbricht Collection
This artwork was shown in the following exhibitions:
This artwork is included in the following publications:
Title | Author | Date | ||||
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Unconsolable Contemporary: Observing Gerhard Richter | Rabinow, Paul | 2017 | |||
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Gerhard Richter und die Geschichte Deutschlands | Jenni-Preihs, Monika | 2013 | |||
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Gerhard Richter: Panorama: Retrospektive | Godfrey, Mark / Serota, Nicholas / Brill, Dorothée / Morineau, Camille / Borchardt-Hume, Achim / Dickson, Amy / Haidu, Rachel / Mehring, Christine | 2012 | |||
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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 | |||
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Il bordo del mondo: La forma sguardo nella pittura di Gerhard Richter | Garbin, Emanuele | 2011 | |||
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Gerhard Richter: Panorama: A Retrospective | Godfrey, Mark / Serota, Nicholas / Brill, Dorothée / Morineau, Camille / Borchardt-Hume, Achim / Dickson, Amy / Haidu, Rachel / Mehring, Christine | 2011 | |||
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September. A History Painting by Gerhard Richter | Storr, Robert | 2010 | |||
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Gerhard Richter. A Life in Painting | Elger, Dietmar | 2009 | |||
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Gerhard Richter: Abstrakte Bilder | Wilmes, Ulrich / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D. / Söntgen, Beate / Stemmrich, Gregor | 2008 | |||
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Gerhard Richter. Large Abstracts | Wilmes, Ulrich / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D. / Söntgen, Beate / Stemmrich, Gregor | 2008 | |||
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Rockers Island. Olbricht Collection | 2007 | ||||
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Gerhard Richter. Portraits | Gronert, Stefan / Butin, Hubertus | 2006 | |||
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Gerhard Richter. Catalogue Raisonné 1993–2004 | Zweite, Armin | 2005 | |||
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Gerhard Richter. Werkverzeichnis 1993-2004 | Zweite, Armin | 2005 | |||
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Moving Energies. Aspekte der Sammlung Olbricht, Part 03/2: Gerhard Richter | Brehm, Margrit | 2004 | |||
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Gerhard Richter | Corà, Bruno / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D. / Chevrier, Jean Francois / Moscati, Italo | 1999 | |||
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Gerhard Richter, 18. Oktober 1977. Eine Kunst-Monographie | Hemken, Kai-Uwe | 1998 | |||
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Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer. Sammlung Frieder Burda = Collection Frieder Burda | Poetter, Jochen / Brehm, Margrit / Möckel, Birgit | 1996 | |||
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Gerhard Richter: Catalogue Raisonné 1962 - 1993 | Pagé, Suzanne / Jacob, Wenzel / Springfield, Björn / König, Kasper / Buchloh, Benjamin H. D. | 1993 | |||
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Gerhard Richter. Bilder = Paintings 1962 - 1985 | Harten, Jürgen / Hering, Karl-Heinz / Honisch, Dieter / Loock, Ulrich / Ronte, Dieter / Elger, Dietmar | 1986 | |||
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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 |
1 exhibition
2 related publications
Title | Author | Date | ||||
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Gerhard Richter. Catalogue Raisonné 1993–2004 | Zweite, Armin | 2005 | |||
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Gerhard Richter. Werkverzeichnis 1993-2004 | Zweite, Armin | 2005 |