Gerhard Richter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerhard Richter
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Richter in 2017
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| Born | 9 February 1932 Dresden, Germany
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| Education | Dresden Art Academy, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | abstract art, photo realism, conceptual art, capitalist realism |
Gerhard Richter (born 9 February 1932) is a famous German artist. He creates many different types of art. These include abstract paintings, realistic paintings based on photos, and even glass sculptures. Many people see him as one of the most important artists alive today. His artworks have sold for record-breaking prices. At one point, he was the most expensive living painter in the world!
Some people have called Richter "the greatest living painter." Others have said he is "the world's most important artist." He has even been called the "Picasso of the 21st century."
Contents
About His Life
Growing Up and School
Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden, Germany. He grew up in small towns nearby. His father was a village teacher. His mother loved books and music.
His father had to join the Nazi Party because he was a teacher. But he was not a strong supporter of their ideas. In 1942, Gerhard joined a youth group called the Deutsches Jungvolk. He was too young to join the main Hitler Youth group.
Richter left school after 10th grade. He first trained as a painter for advertising and theater sets. Later, he studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. He started there in 1951.
Family Life
Richter married Marianne Eufinger in 1957. They had a daughter together. Later, he married sculptor Isa Genzken in 1982. He then married Sabine Moritz in 1995. With Sabine, he had two sons and another daughter.
Starting His Art Career
Early in his career, Richter painted large murals. One was called Communion with Picasso (1955). Another was Lebensfreude (Joy of Life) for a museum.
From 1957 to 1961, Richter worked for the East German state. He painted murals and oil paintings. These included portraits and a view of Dresden.
In 1961, Richter and his wife escaped to West Germany. This was just before the Berlin Wall was built. His murals in East Germany were then painted over.
In West Germany, he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. There, he worked with other artists like Sigmar Polke. They created a new art style called Capitalistic Realism. This style used images from advertising. It was a playful jab at both Soviet art and Western consumer culture.
Richter later became a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. He taught there for over 15 years. In 1983, he moved to Cologne, where he still lives and works.
His Artworks
Photo-Paintings and the "Blur"
In the 1960s and 1970s, Richter made many paintings from black-and-white photos. He used pictures from newspapers, books, and even his own snapshots. He painted landscapes, seascapes, and portraits.
One famous series is 48 Portraits (1971–72). For this, he painted faces of famous composers and writers. He also painted portraits of his family members. These included his daughters and wives.
Richter started making prints in 1965. He used different printing methods. He wanted his prints to look less like "art" and more like everyday photos.
He also painted many landscapes. These often looked like traditional German Romantic paintings. They are sometimes compared to the work of Caspar David Friedrich.
His huge project called Atlas started in 1972. It is a collection of about 4,000 photographs and images. He groups them together on panels. It's like a giant visual encyclopedia of his ideas.
In the 1980s, Richter painted a series of Candles and Skulls. These paintings remind us of old artworks that show life is short. He took photos of candles and skulls in his studio. He then painted them. These works make you think about quiet moments and even death.
In 1988, he created 15 paintings called 18 October 1977. These were based on photos of members of the Red Army Faction. This was a German militant group. Their deaths in prison caused a lot of discussion. Richter's paintings explored this controversial event.
After 1989, Richter started a new technique. He dragged wet paint over photographs. These photos were often everyday snapshots.
After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Richter made a small painting called September. It showed the planes hitting the World Trade Center. This painting explores how we remember big events.
Abstract Artworks
Richter's abstract paintings are very famous. In 1976, he first called one of his works Abstract Painting. He wanted to let the painting "come" to life, rather than forcing it.
He builds up layers of paint in these works. He uses big brushes at first. Then he uses a special tool called a squeegee. He drags and scrapes the paint across the canvas. This creates unique textures and patterns. He blurs and scrapes to hide and show earlier layers of paint.
Even though they are abstract, these paintings often feel like windows. They can make you think of landscapes or other scenes.
He also created a series of works called Firenze. These are small paintings of the city of Florence. He made them as a tribute to music.
In the 2000s, Richter explored scientific ideas in his art. For example, his Silicate paintings show patterns like those found in insect shells. In 2006, he made six large abstract paintings called Cage. They are named after the composer John Cage.
Color Chart Paintings
Richter started making paintings based on color charts in 1966. These works use many rectangles of different colors. He was inspired by how these charts arranged colors.
His most ambitious color works were in 1973-74. One example is 256 Colours. He used mathematical systems to mix colors. He also used chance to decide where to place them. This made the colors appear in a random order.
In 2007, he created 4900 Colours. This work has 196 panels with 25 colors. They can be arranged in 11 different ways. This piece was made at the same time he designed a window for the Cologne Cathedral.
Sculptures
Richter began using glass in his art in 1967. He made Four Panes of Glass. These were simple glass sheets that could tilt.
He also created large transparent mirrors. These mirrors are much bigger than his paintings. They change how you see the space around them. He also made a stainless steel sphere called Kugel (Sphere) in 1992. It acts like a mirror, reflecting the room.
Drawings
Richter's drawings show a different side of his art. He sometimes used unusual tools, like a pencil attached to an electric drill. This showed that drawing wasn't just about a perfect "artist's hand." It was also about exploring different ways to make marks.
Special Art Projects
Richter has taken on some special art projects. In 1968, he painted Domplatz, Mailand (Cathedral Square, Milan). This large painting was for a company office in Milan.
In 1998, he created a wall piece for the rebuilt Reichstag building in Berlin. It used the colors of Germany's flag.
Church Windows
In 2002, Richter was asked to design a stained glass window for the Cologne Cathedral. It was unveiled in 2007. The window is a huge abstract collage. It has 11,500 pixel-like squares in 72 colors. A computer randomly arranged the colors. Richter did not charge for his work.
Some people, like Cardinal Joachim Meisner, did not like the abstract design. They wanted a window showing Christian figures. But Richter, who is an atheist but respects Catholicism, had his children baptized in the cathedral.
In 2020, Richter unveiled three more stained-glass windows. These were for the Tholey Abbey, one of Germany's oldest monasteries. He called them his last major works.
Art Shows and Recognition
Exhibitions
Richter started showing his art in Düsseldorf in 1963. His first solo show was in 1964. Soon, his art was shown all over Europe and the United States.
His first big show looking back at his career was in 1976. In 2002, a huge show of his work was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It then traveled to other major museums.
He has also taken part in big international art shows. These include the Venice Biennale and Documenta.
The Gerhard Richter Archive was created in 2005. It helps preserve his work. In 2020, he started the Gerhard Richter Art Foundation. This foundation helps make his art available for exhibitions.
Awards and Influence
Richter's fame grew even more after his 2005 show. Many now call him the best living painter. He has won many important awards. These include the Praemium Imperiale and the Golden Lion. He was also made an honorary citizen of Cologne in 2007.
Richter has influenced many other artists. Some of his students at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf became famous artists themselves.
He has also inspired writers and musicians. The band Sonic Youth used one of his paintings for their album cover in 1988. He was a fan of the band and let them use it for free.
For many years, Gerhard Richter has been ranked as the most important artist in the world. This is according to a German magazine called Capital.
Art Market Value
Richter's artworks are very valuable. Museums own about 38% of his works. Many of his paintings are also sold at auctions. In 2010, his art sold for over $76 million at auction.
His candle paintings were some of the first to sell for very high prices. In 2008, his painting Kerze (Candle) sold for $15 million. In 2011, another Kerze sold for $16.5 million.
His abstract paintings are also highly sought after. In 2012, one of his abstract works sold for $34.2 million. In 2013, his painting Domplatz, Mailand sold for $37.1 million. In 2015, his abstract painting Abstraktes Bild (599) sold for $44.52 million. This was a record for a living artist at the time.
When asked about these huge prices, Richter said it was "absurd" and "daft!"
Films About His Life and Art
Several films have been made about Gerhard Richter. In 2003, Gerald Fox made a documentary about him. In 2011, Corinna Belz released a feature-length documentary called Gerhard Richter Painting. This film showed Richter creating his large abstract works in his studio.
The 2018 drama film Never Look Away is also inspired by Richter's life story.
Richter has also worked on films based on his book Patterns. These films combine his art with music by composers like Marcus Schmickler and Steve Reich.
Gallery
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Gerhard Richter, Undeniable Me, 1971/72, 48 painted portraits at the right; at the left portraits of Gottfried Helnwein, 1991–92
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Gerhard Richter & Isa Genzken, Wall-art in underground, Duisburg, 1980–1992, in colorful enamel plates
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Gerhard Richter, Cologne Cathedral Window, c. 2007, light-fall from the stained-glass window in the Kölner Dom
See also
In Spanish: Gerhard Richter para niños
