Richter’s masterpieces: Krefeld lends art to Paris!

Richter’s masterpieces: Krefeld lends art to Paris!

Gerhard Richter is a name that is very popular in the art world. In May 1997 he opened an exhibition of his works in the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld, where he celebrated a re-encounter with his 66-part drawing work “Halifax”. In this review of the decades of his creative period, he delved deeply into it: The drawings were created in 1978 during his stay in Halifax, Canada, where Richter was a visiting professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. What is interesting is that Richter did not have his own studio during this time and was therefore unable to do oil painting, which motivated him to resort to drawing.

This work, comprising 66 drawings, is not only a collection of abstract forms, but also a fascinating insight into Richter's artistic development. Using a sharp pencil, he created drawings that did not have any fixed compositions and appeared more like finished intermediate images. These works were immediately well received: the first public exhibition of the Halifax drawings took place in the spring of 1979 in Konrad Fischer's gallery in Düsseldorf and the drawings quickly came into the possession of the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, which has since made great contributions to their recognition.

From drawing to art book

The stay in Halifax proved fruitful for Richter. In addition to the 66 pencil drawings, watercolors and 128 photographs of a painting were also created. To record his thoughts, Richter prepared a sheet of writing paper, which he sketched using a stencil. This creative isolation had a lasting influence on his work. The idea of ​​publishing the Halifax works in book form arose in Krefeld, which led Richter to decide to have the photographs reprinted and to select various excerpts. The resulting art book was published by Walther König in 1997 and has been very popular with collectors ever since.

Richter's publications are thematically diverse and offer a deep insight into his artistic conception. His book on artists' books examines how Richter interprets and reproduces graphic material. As Dieter Schwarz emphasizes in the introduction to Richter's books, these works are not only characterized by extravagant covers, but are also characterized by well-thought-out compositions and a clearly structured presentation. The layout of his books also plays an important role and reflects Richter's ideals and artistic soul. Conversations with Hans Ulrich Obrist, who has produced several books with Richter, shed additional light on the development of these unique publications.

Whether in a museum or on the book market – Gerhard Richter sets standards and inspires not only new generations of artists, but also art lovers worldwide. With his work he remains an integral part of the contemporary art scene.

You can find more information about Gerhard Richter and his work under the links:
RP Online, Saint Martin Bookshop, Gerhard Richter.