Literature

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.

This book was published in conjunction with the exhibition Polke / Richter. Dokumentation einer Ausstellung in 2014. It makes reference to the joint exhibition of Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke, which was held in gallery h in Hannover in March 1966 as well as the original artist’s book that was published in connection with the exhibition. This new publication compares the layout of the original artists's book with its earlier drafts to demonstrate the artist’s book’s style of collage. It contains photographs of the exhibition in Hannover as well as letters between Sigmar Polke and August Haseke, the former director of gallery h, in which they discussed the exhibition.

In the text contribution, Dietmar Elger analyses the relationship between the art students from Dusseldorf, including Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Konrad Lueg and Manfred Kuttner, who often worked together. He demonstrates the ways in which the collaboration between Polke and Richter came about and traces the development of Richter’s first artist’s book.

Gerhard Richter. Books is the translation of the German book Gerhard Richter. Bücher, which was first published in 2013 and exclusively addresses Gerhard Richter’s artist’s books. Starting with a brief introduction to the history of the genre, Dieter Schwarz proceeds to analyse Richter’s diverse publications, which don’t necessarily stand out with extravagant covers, but are versatile in dealing with different subjects and their presentation. The aspect of reproduction and the processing of graphical material, which plays a crucial role in Richter’s works in general, can also be found in most of his books. Schwarz adjudges Eis and Wald a special status, as they are not derived from image details like War Cut or Patterns, but consist of independent series of pictures.

In the interview with Richter, Hans Ulrich Obrist, who also collaborated with him on a number of books, discusses the artist’s books chronologically and raises detailed questions about the development and context of all of Richter’s publications. The interviewer talks to Richter about his ideals and guiding principles in painting. Obrist is mainly interested in the structure and layout of the books, which demonstrate a carefully conceived composition.

The small-format book Scheiben und Strips von Gerhard Richter comprises two essays: Gerhard Richter. Gläserne Revolte and Das Zufalls-Ornament. Malerei des Fortschritts by Benjamin H. D. Buchloh. The source of the original English texts, which are published in German for the first time, is the exhibition catalogue Gerhard Richter. Strip Paintings, 2012 by the Marian Goodman Gallery, New York.

The author contextualizes Richter’s glass constructions as well as his colour works in regards to Richter’s oeuvre as well as contemporary influences on his work. He focuses on the significance of Marcel Duchamp in relation to Richter’s works.

Numerous images in the middle part of the book illustrate the text.

As part of a comprehensive scholarly reassessment, art historian and director of the Gerhard Richter Archive Dresden Dietmar Elger published the third of five planned volumes of Gerhard Richter's Catalogue Raisonné.

It includes the work numbers 389 to 651, from the years 1976 to 1987, which Richter himself assigned to the works. In addition to numerous images, the book also includes complete technical information for all works, his handwritten assigned titles, and the provenance of all individual works. Remarks, quotations and comparative illustrations complement the exhibition details and bibliographical references.

Gerhard Richter. Bücher is the first publication that exclusively addresses Gerhard Richter’s artist’s books. Starting with a brief introduction to the history of the genre, Dieter Schwarz proceeds to analyse Richter’s diverse publications, which don’t necessarily stand out with extravagant covers, but are versatile in dealing with different subjects and their presentation. The aspect of reproduction and the processing of graphical material, which plays a crucial role in Richter’s works in general, can also be found in most of his books. Schwarz adjudges Eis and Wald a special status, as they are not derived from image details like War Cut or Patterns, but consist of independent series of pictures.

In the interview with Richter, Hans Ulrich Obrist, who also collaborated with him on a number of books, discusses the artist’s books chronologically and raises detailed questions about the development and context of all of Richter’s publications. The interviewer talks to Richter about his ideals and guiding principles in painting. Obrist is mainly interested in the structure and arrangement of the books, which demonstrate a carefully conceived composition.

As part of a comprehensive scholarly reassessment, in 2011 art historian and director of the Gerhard Richter Archive Dresden Dietmar Elger published the first of five planned volumes of Gerhard Richter's Catalogue Raisonné.

It includes the work numbers 1 to 198, from the years 1962 to 1968, which Richter himself assigned to the works. In addition to numerous images, the book also includes complete technical information for all works, his handwritten assigned titles, and the provenance of all individual works. Remarks, quotations and comparative illustrations complement the exhibition details and bibliographical references.

Gerhard Richter: Early Work, 1951–1972 is a collection of six essays, which were delivered at the symposium on the occasion of the exhibition From Caspar David Friedrich to Gerhard Richter: German Paintings from Dresden at the Getty Center, Los Angeles in 2007.

The authors focus on Richter’s early paintings, which were created during the period of the Cold War. Richter’s early artistic formation as a socialist-realist painter in the GDR is addressed as is his further artistic development after his move to West Germany.

Contributions by John J. Curley, Jeanne Anne Nugent, Eckhart J. Gillen, Christine Mehring, Stefan Gronert and Dietmar Elger.