Gerhard Richter: 48 Portraits

Gerhard Richter is widely recognized as one of the most significant painters working today, and he is certainly among the most influential. He has worked in a wide range of media since the early 1960s, producing abstractions, landscapes, images derived from the mass media and from other photographs, and more. Seen together, these works call into question such widely held assumptions as the importance of stylistic consistency, individual artistic sensibility and spontaneous creativity. They also explore the impact of technology and media imagery on the traditional methods and formats of painting.

The Museum of Modern Art has published two important books on Richter, both written by Robert Storr: one covering forty years of his work, and published to accompany the Museum's large retrospective of his work in 2002, and one focusing on a single crucial series, October 18, 1977. This book brings together the essays and recent interviews from both of those books in a single volume.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Gerhard Richter. 40 Years of Painting at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, this publication represents a broad range of Gerhard Richter's paintings of the last 40 years.

Gerhard Richter's diverse body of work questions broadly held attitudes about the inherent importance of stylistic consistency for an artist. It ranges from photo-based pictures all across the board to gestural abstraction. The 'natural' evolution of individual artistic sensibility, the spontaneous component of creativity and the relationship of technological means and mass media imagery to traditional studio methods and formats. Richter has always kept his distance from revolutionaries and conservatives alike regarding what painting “should” be. This has resulted in what has been among the most convincing renewal of painting's vitality in late 20th- and early 21st-century art.

This publication consists of a critical essay by curator Robert Storr, a rare interview with the artist himself, a chronology, an exhibition history, and nearly 300 colour and duotone reproductions.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Gerhard Richter. 40 Years of Painting at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, this publication represents a broad range of Gerhard Richter's paintings of the last 40 years.

Gerhard Richter's diverse body of work questions broadly held attitudes about the inherent importance of stylistic consistency for an artist. It ranges from photo-based pictures all across the board to gestural abstraction. The 'natural' evolution of individual artistic sensibility, the spontaneous component of creativity and the relationship of technological means and mass media imagery to traditional studio methods and formats. Richter has always kept his distance from revolutionaries and conservatives alike regarding what painting “should” be. This has resulted in what has been among the most convincing renewal of painting's vitality in late 20th- and early 21st-century art.

This publication consists of a critical essay by curator Robert Storr, a rare interview with the artist himself, a chronology, an exhibition history, and nearly 300 colour and duotone reproductions.

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

Author and curator Paul Moorhouse presents a systematic examination of Richter's work within this genre. The portraits, exclusively painted after photographic source images, are categorised according to their origin. The chapter "Devotional Pictures" compiles images that can be traced back to family photo albums, whereas the source images in the chapter "Continual Uncertainty" mostly derive from newspapers or magazines and reflect the zeitgeist.  However, the greatest share is formed by portraits of people from Richter's intimate circle: artists, friends and family members.

With over a hundred full-colour illustrations, Gerhard Richter. Portraits. Painting Appearances makes an important contribution to our understanding of the artist's work within this genre.

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

Author and curator Paul Moorhouse presents a systematic examination of Richter's work within this genre. The portraits, exclusively painted after photographic source images, are categorised according to their origin. The chapter "Devotional Pictures" compiles images that can be traced back to family photo albums, whereas the source images in the chapter "Continual Uncertainty" mostly derive from newspapers or magazines and reflect the zeitgeist.  However, the greatest share is formed by portraits of people from Richter's intimate circle: artists, friends and family members.

With over a hundred full-colour illustrations, Gerhard Richter. Portraits. Painting Appearances makes an important contribution to our understanding of the artist's work within this genre.
 

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.
Besides an evaluation of numerous letters and material from the Gerhard Richter archive, the book includes conversations with the artist as well as several of his contemporaries. Dietmar Elger, director of the Gerhard Richter Archive, describes Richter’s daily studio routine and his creative process. Thanks to detailed background information, this book contributes to an understanding of Richter’s art in connection with his life.

Gerhard Richter. Rot, Gelb, Blau by Helmut Friedel analyses and contextualises the paintings Red, Yellow and Blue [CR: 345/1-3] commissioned by BMW for their Munich headquarters, within the context of Richter’s œuvre.

During the years 1970 to 1980 Gerhard Richter frequently addressed paint as a means of painting and especially images of pastose brush strokes. This examination led to the large works Red, Yellow and Blue of 1973, each measuring 3 x 6 metres. The BMW headquarters themselves are also considered, as the space, for which Richter created the paintings.

A text contribution by Robert Storr places Red, Yellow, and Blue in an historical context and refers to the historical aspects that might have played a role in the creative process of the BMW works.

This issue of the Patrimonia series was published on the occasion of the acquisition of the painting Portrait Dr. Knobloch of 1964 by Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden in 2009. The history of the painting’s origin, which was one of Gerhard Richter’s first commissioned portraits, is analysed in context of his other early portraits. The portraits after passport photos are highlighted especially and compared with portraits by Andy Warhol.

Text contribution by Dietmar Elger, director of the Gerhard Richter Archive Dresden.

At 864 pages, this monumental and comprehensive publication maps the ideas, processes, life and times of Gerhard Richter. Conceived and closely edited by Richter himself, Atlas cuts straight to the heart of the artist's work, collecting more than 5,000 photographs, drawings and sketches that he has compiled or created since the moment of his creative breakthrough in 1962. The images closely parallel, year by year, the subjects of Richter's paintings, revealing the orderly but open-ended analysis that has been so central to his art.
Offering invaluable insight into Richter's working process, this encyclopedic new edition - which completely revises and updates the rare, out-of-print 1997 edition and includes 147 additional plates - features 780 multi-image panels, each reproduced full page and in full colour.

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 that are based on photographical source images. The paintings and photographs, which were predominantly taken from magazines and advertisements of the era, are confronted with each other; Richter’s selective process is illuminated and categorised here.

Letters, which Richter wrote to his artist friends Helmut Heinze and Wieland Förster, can also be read for the first time in this publication, along with photographs of Richter’s studio at the time, and give a strong impression of his work in this period.

The cycle October 18, 1977 completes the works from the 1960s since its creative process refers to the earlier works. A comprehensive examination of the source material that lead to these paintings of members of the terrorist group Red Army Faction has also been carried out.

Contributions by Ortrud Westheider, Uwe M. Schneede, Dietmar Elger, Hubertus Butin and Dietmar Rübel.

At 864 pages, this monumental and comprehensive publication maps the ideas, processes, life and times of Gerhard Richter. Conceived and closely edited by Richter himself, Atlas cuts straight to the heart of the artist's work, collecting more than 5,000 photographs, drawings and sketches that he has compiled or created since the moment of his creative breakthrough in 1962. The images closely parallel, year by year, the subjects of Richter's paintings, revealing the orderly but open-ended analysis that has been so central to his art. Offering invaluable insight into Richter's working process, this encyclopedic new edition - which completely revises and updates the rare, out-of-print 1997 edition and includes 147 additional plates - features 780 multi-image panels, each reproduced full page and in full color.

The catalogue Gerhard Richter. Atlas displays 783 plates of Gerhard Richter’s Atlas. Atlas is a collection of photographs, newspaper cuttings and sketches, which the artist compiled and then arranged on single sheets beginning in the mid 1960s. The plates, which often contain templates for his paintings, reflect different stages of Richter’s life and work.

With text contribution by Helmut Friedel.

The catalogue Gerhard Richter. Bilder / Serien accompanies Gerhard Richter’s eponymous exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler. The show is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, a longstanding friend of Richter, and looks back at 60 years of the artist’s work. The exhibition focuses on work he created since the 1960s; namely, series, cycles and interior spaces. According to Obrist, too little attention has been devoted to this specific section of his oeuvre to date. Works exhibited in groups are juxtaposed with single pieces, which act as both counterpoints characteristic of Richter’s style, yet simultaneously illuminate the similarities between the different bodies of work.

Besides illustrations of the exhibited paintings, the catalogue also includes text contributions by Sam Keller, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Dieter Schwarz. The essays by Obrist and Schwarz primarily analyse Richter’s series. An interview between the curator and Richter reveals the background of the development of the series. Furthermore, the catalogue includes a letter by George Didi-Huberman, who shares his thoughts after a visit to the artist’s studio.

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 that are based on photographical source images. The paintings and photographs, which were predominantly taken from magazines and advertisements of the era, are confronted with each other; Richter’s selective process is illuminated and categorised here.

Letters, which Richter wrote to his artist friends Helmut Heinze and Wieland Förster, can also be read for the first time in this publication, along with photographs of Richter’s studio at the time, and give a strong impression of his work in this period.

The cycle October 18, 1977 completes the works from the 1960s since its creative process refers to the earlier works. A comprehensive examination of the source material that lead to these paintings of members of the terrorist group Red Army Faction has also been carried out.

Contributions by Ortrud Westheider, Uwe M. Schneede, Dietmar Elger, Hubertus Butin and Dietmar Rübel.

The catalogue Gerhard Richter. Pictures / Series accompanies Gerhard Richter’s exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler. The show is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, a longstanding friend of Richter, and looks back at 60 years of the artist’s work. The exhibition focuses on work he created since the 1960s; namely, series, cycles and interior spaces. According to Obrist, too little attention has been devoted to this specific section of his oeuvre to date. Works exhibited in groups are juxtaposed with single pieces, which act as both counterpoints characteristic of Richter’s style, yet simultaneously illuminate the similarities between the different bodies of work.

Besides illustrations of the exhibited paintings, the catalogue also includes texts contributed by Sam Keller, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Dieter Schwarz. The essays by Obrist and Schwarz primarily analyse Richter’s series. An interview between the curator and Richter reveals the background of the development of the series. Furthermore, the catalogue includes a letter by George Didi-Huberman, who shares his thoughts after a visit to the artist’s studio.

On October 18, 1977, three young German radicals, members of the militant Baader-Meinhof group, were found dead in a Stuttgart prison; they were pronounced suicides, but many people suspected they had been murdered. Gerhard Richter, a German painter, and one of the most exceptional and highly regarded artists of the second half of the 20th century, created, 11 years after this traumatic event, a series of 15 paintings known as October 18, 1977. It is among the most challenging works of the artist's career, and one of the 20th century's most famous works on a political theme, still highly debated and unsettling to this day.

Accompanied by an extensive and sensitive group of texts by Robert Storr, who recently curated the Richter retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The catalogue Gerhard Richter. Übersicht accompanies the eponymous exhibition of the German Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IfA), which has been composed by Gerhard Richter himself.

The exhibition has been touring different countries for several years and presents Richter's œuvre abroad. The 27 selected works offer an insight into nearly every creative phase of the artist. The exhibition does not claim to show Richter's work comprehensively, the title rather refers to the exhibited piece of work Overview [Editions CR: 93] of 1998.

With a preface by Götz Adriani and text contributions by Dieter Schwarz.

The catalogue Gerhard Richter. Survey accompanies the eponymous exhibition of the German Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (IfA), which has been composed by Gerhard Richter himself.

The exhibition has been touring different countries for several years and presents Richter's œuvre abroad. The 27 selected works offer an insight into nearly every creative phase of the artist. The exhibition does not claim to show Richter's work comprehensively, the title rather refers to the exhibited piece of work Overview [Editions CR: 93] of 1998.

With a preface by Götz Adriani and text contributions by Dieter Schwarz.

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, as well as proofs. It contains all original works that were made in editions, such as prints, photographic editions, artist’s books, artist’s posters, multiples and editions of paintings, which were produced before 2013.

Text contributions by Hubertus Butin and Stefan Gronert provide an insight into techniques, form, relevance and context of the editions. Butin analyses the significance of editions in Richter’s oeuvre as well as its relevance in art history. Gronert concentrates on the importance of photography in Richter’s oeuvre; not only does it play a role as a medium of reproduction but also as source of templates for his paintings.

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, as well as proofs. It contains all original works that were made in editions, such as prints, photographic editions, artist’s books, artist’s posters, multiples and editions of paintings, which were produced before 2013.

Text contributions by Hubertus Butin and Stefan Gronert provide an insight into techniques, form, relevance and context of the editions. Butin analyses the significance of editions in Richter’s oeuvre as well as its relevance in art history. Gronert concentrates on the importance of photography in Richter’s oeuvre; not only does it play a role as a medium of reproduction but also as source of templates for his paintings.

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.
Besides an evaluation of numerous letters and material from the Gerhard Richter archive, the book includes conversations with the artist as well as several of his contemporaries. Dietmar Elger, director of the Gerhard Richter Archive, describes Richter’s daily studio routine and his creative process. Thanks to detailed background information, this book contributes to an understanding of Richter’s art in connection with his life.

This edition of the biography Gerhard Richter, Maler published in 2008 was slightly revised to include details of more recent events in Richter’s life.

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.
Besides an evaluation of numerous letters and material from the Gerhard Richter archive, the book includes conversations with the artist as well as several of his contemporaries. Dietmar Elger, director of the Gerhard Richter Archive, describes Richter’s daily studio routine and his creative process. Thanks to detailed background information, this book contributes to an understanding of Richter’s art in connection with his life.

This English translation of the biography Gerhard Richter, Maler by Dietmar Elger, published in 2009, was slightly revised for the Anglophone reader.

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.

In his essay, Stefan Gronert discusses the position of the portrait in the artist’s oeuvre. He begins by looking at Richter’s early black and white pictures, then moving on to his more recent colour charts. The artist has explored this subject through various media, including painting, graphic reproduction, drawings, photography and film. Research conducted for this publication unearthed portraits in the artist’s archive that were hitherto unknown; now published in this monograph for the first time.
In his essay, Hubert Butin examines some of these newly discovered works; in particular focusing on Richter’s portrait photography of the 1960s.
 

Exhibition catalogue by Roald Nasgaard, with an essay by I. Michael Danoff, and an interview with Gerhard Richter by Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, edited by Terry A. Neff.

Exhibitions:
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, April 29, 1988 to July 10, 1988;
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, September 17, 1988 to November 27, 1988;
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., December 14, 1988 to February 12, 1989;
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, March 15, 1989 to May 28, 1989.

Robert Storr considers the importance of the Cage paintings within Richter’s practice and within the wider context of abstract art. A series of extraordinary, detailed photographs document the development of each painting and show the artist at work on these monumental canvases, giving unprecedented insight into his working methods. Including illustrations of comparative works, archival photographs and studio views, The Cage Paintings is essential reading for anyone interested in the life and work of one of the world’s greatest living painters.

The catalogue was published on the occasion of the exhibition Kunst aus Fotografie. Was machen Künstler heute mit Fotografie? Montagen, Übermalungen, Gemälde, Dokumente, Fotobilder that was held at Kunstverein Hannover in 1973. Different forms of artistic debates with photography are analysed.

In the catalogue Gerhard Richter’s work 48 Portraits is separately discussed in the chapter Painting after Photographs. In the exhibition, this work was presented as photographic reproduction.

With text contributions by Helmut R. Leppien.

The catalogue Gerhard Richter. Atlas was published on the occasion of the exhibition Gerhard Richter. Atlas der Fotos, Collagen und Skizzen in Städtische Galerie in the Lenbachhaus, München.

The book displays nearly 500 plates of Gerhard Richter’s Atlas. Atlas is a collection of photographs, newspaper cuttings and sketches, which the artist compiled and then arranged on single sheets beginning in the mid 1960s. The plates, which often contain templates for his paintings, reflect different stages of Richter’s life and work.

Text contribution by Armin Zweite.

This first publication of the Gerhard Richter Archive documents the six-lecture symposium organized by the Archive on 10th February 2007 in celebration of Gerhard Richter's 75th birthday in association with the Institute of Art and Music Science of the Dresden University of Technology.

The book contains the six lectures delivered on that occasion by Hubertus Butin, Dietmar Elger, Dietmar Rübel, Dieter Schwarz, Julia Gelshorn and Gregor Stemmrich, together with an introduction by Jürgen Müller.