Gerhard Richter: 10 Key Works from Photorealism to Abstraction

Gerhard Richter, one of the most expensive living painters, is surveyed through ten pivotal artworks spanning his career. Early works like Tisch (Table, 1962) merge photorealism with abstraction. In 1967, he began glass installations, with 3 Scheiben (3 Panes of Glass) shown at David Zwirner in 2023. For the 1972 Venice Biennale's German Pavilion, he created 48 Portraits, selecting 19th- and 20th-century European and North American figures, excluding religious, political, and artistic figures, as well as women. Schober (Haybarn, 1984) sold for £8,405,000 at Christie's London on March 5, 2026. Kerze (Candle, 1982) explores memento mori. Abstraktes Bild (596, 1986) echoes Monet's Water Lilies. The 15 paintings of October 18, 1977 (1988) depict Red Army Faction members from police photos. Abstract Painting 780-1 (1992) uses bold colors and a squeegee. In 2007, Richter donated a 23x9-meter stained glass window to Cologne Cathedral, using 72 colors from medieval windows arranged by random number generator. Birkenau (2014) conceals secret 1944 Auschwitz photographs within abstract layers.