Gerhard Richter: Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 4: Nos. 652-1-805-6, 1988-1994

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Individual Artists

Gerhard Richter: Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 4: Nos. 652-1-805-6, 1988-1994 Details

This volume comprises the fourth installment in this ambitious publishing project. The oeuvre of Gerhard Richter (born 1932) comprises in excess of 3,000 individual works. Over a period of five decades he has created a stylistically heterogeneous, complex body of work that testifies to his status as the most important living artist of our time. The first volume of this catalogue raisonné was released on the occasion of the artist's 80th birthday in February 2012. Dietmar Elger, director of the Gerhard Richter Archive at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, has spent years researching and preparing this latest publication. Aside from the richly colored illustrations, many of them full-page, Gerhard Richter: Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 4 includes full technical details, information about the artist's handwritten notes and the provenance, bibliography and exhibitions of each individual work. This information is supplemented by commentary, quotes and comparison images.

Reviews

The Amazon descriptions are accurate and concise. The book is well built – I find Hatje Cantz publications to be of high quality – the binding is strong, the pages are thick, the colors are rich, the covers are sturdy, the spine is tight. It opens fully, and lays flat with little effort/trouble. It is printed in Germany, hence the high quality. I consider this to be a reference standard, and not for casual fans of Richter’s work. It does not explore the individual works in detail, nor does it explore Richter’s process, nor education/history. I would recommend this for a serious collector of Richter’s work – it is a hefty investment, since there are now 7 volumes planned (not 5, as listed here). If you are looking at this book, then you probably know what you are getting into. Otherwise, check out the previously published collection volumes ("40 years of Painting" or similar).I also have Volume 1, and it is similar in quality. Volume 1 contains a biography & bibliography.Vol 4 is the third published volume of a (now, as of 2015) 7 volume set. Note, these are not published sequentially. As of Dec 2015, only Volumes 1 (2011), 3 (2013) and 4 (2015) have been published.600 pages, 645 Illustrations color and B&WAll text is in English and GermanSlipcase: thin cardstock, no embossing, throwaway.Includes text by Dieter Elger, unique to this volume: Foreward (2 pgs), Introduction (12 pgs), Preface (3 pgs).Conclusion of research for Volume 4: Dec 31, 2014.Information for each work: Work Numbers, Titles of Works, Year of Origin, Technique, Dimensions, Inscriptions, Owners, Provenance, Exhibitions, Literature, Quotes, RemarksGenerally, each work is presented with a large color image and text information. Occasionally there is a smaller image (source photograph, gallery installation, etc.). Some pages have 2 or 3 works presented, usually for repetitive works in a series. Occasionally, the images are only in B&W (unknown if the original works are painted in color).Text information for each work: Work Numbers, Titles of Works, Year of Origin, Technique, Dimensions, Inscriptions, Owners, Provenance, Exhibitions, Literature, Quotes, Remarks.No biography or bibliography is included (see Volume 1).For future reference, the following additional volumes are credited inside this book, but have no publication date: Volume 6: Nos 900 - ? (2007 - ?); Volume 7: Survey

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