Customer Reviews

Gerhard Richter: 100 Pictures

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this is a summary of richter's recent oil paintings, with two critical essays. Although a few pre '90s paintings are shown (e.g. zwie grau, schaedel, some abstractes bild), most of the book covers the abstracted bilds and photo-paintings of 95-96. The 'realistic' works include several landscapes, lesende, works with flowers and the most excellent S. mit kind series. Also a rare self-portrait (836-10, 1996). Essays are 'the woman the child and the painting' by guy tosatto, and 'there is no there. gerhard richter at the carre d'Art in Nimes,' by Birgit Pelzer. printing is nice. we read that the artist was involved in the production of this very good buy.

Americans, unless you were lucky enough to see the Gerhard Richter retrospective that toured American museums a few years ago, this book may be your best opportunity to get acquainted with one of the best German painters of recent decades. The book was published in conjunction with an exhibit of Richter's "private paintings" in Nimes, France. Most of the paintings were done in an intense burst of creativity in 1995-1996. These paintings are chiefly abstracts, done in a bouquet of fragant colors. To my eyes, Richter's abstracts are a revelation of serene painterly beauty in a genre - abstract expressionism - that has more often revealed bizarre turmoil and depression. If I were to buy an abstract for my parlor wall, I'd hope to afford a Richter.

Richter didn't paint abstractions only because he had no recourse to realism and old-masterly brushwork. A number of the plates in this book show his competence at photo-like realism and Degas-like impressionism; the choice of style was his, according to the perceived subject.

Richter himself collaborated on the production of this book. The pages are small - roughly 7'x10' - but the quality of ink and paper is very high, and the colors are as vibrant as the originals. Gerhard Richter is a painter whose art will be around for a long time, and with luck you'll get to see it in the museum nearest your home sometime, but you won't go wrong by getting a preview of it from this splendid volume.

I have been a Gerhard Richter book collector and art dealer for years now. Surprisingly enough, this was the 1st Gerhard Richter book I purchased and I have had a special place in my heart for it ever since. This little Gerhard Richter book is, for the money, well worth purchasing. In the under $50 range, this is one of the best Richter books on the market.