ARTIST OF THE DAY: GERARD RICHTER

ABOUT GERARD RICHTER

Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist. Richter has produced abstract as well as photorealistic paintings, and also photographs and glass pieces. He is widely regarded as one of the most important contemporary German artists and several of his works have set record prices at auction.

Born: February 9, 1932 (age 88 years), Dresden, Germany

On view: The Museum of Modern Art

Periods: Abstract expressionism, Contemporary art, Abstract art, Conceptual art, Modern art, Realism, Photorealism

Movies: Gerhard Richter Painting, Kunst und Ketchup

Spouse: Sabine Moritz-Richter (m. 1995), Isa Genzken (m. 1982–1993)

Children: Betty Richter

Education: Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Academy of Fine Arts Dresden

Gerhard Richter is a multidisciplinary artist that has produced not only abstract art, but also photorealistic paintings, photographs, and glass works. Regarded as one of the most important contemporary German artists of our time, his works have also gone on to set several record prices at auction. 

He began creating abstract paintings in the late 70s, stating them as “fictive models, because they make visible a reality that we can neither see nor describe, but whose existence we can postulate.” Whilst he made many of such paintings in his career, ’Abstract Painting 599’ is notable as it is one of Richter’s favorites. It later sold for $46 million dollars to an anonymous buyer in 2015, making it Richter’s most expensive painting thus far. 

SOURCE: https://theartling.com/en/artzine/famous-abstract-art/

QUOTE BY GERARD RICHTER

Art is the pure realization of religious feeling, capacity for faith, longing for God. […] The ability to believe is our outstanding quality, and only art adequately translates it into reality. But when we assuage our need for faith with an ideology we court disaster.

WHAT I WISH FOR YOU TODAY

Woo yourself. Court yourself. Treat yourself. Date yourself. This’ll make for the BEST DAY EVER!