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16/1/2014

Gerhard Richter

Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Winterthur

After the recent retrospectives of Gerhard Richter (b. 1932), the Kunstmuseum Winterthur presents an exhibition conceived in collaboration with the artist with new works coming directly from his Cologne studio, Strip paintings, large-scale lacquer paintings on glass, and two new glass sculptures.

This is not the first time the Kunstmuseum Winterthur has worked with Gerhard Richter. In 1999, the museum showed a retrospective of his drawings and watercolors, and it is the only Swiss museum to own a larger group of Richter's works, including paintings, two sculptures, and the most extensive collection of works on paper in any museum.

Richter's new Strip paintings feature a plethora of extremely fine lines of color; they are not painted by hand but conceived in a complicated process, determined by chance, and then digitally produced with an inkjet printer. A striking new stage in Richter's development, these paintings are irritating and fascinating, with an austerity that can be intimidating. The first Strips were shown in galleries in Paris, New York, and Tokyo in 2011-2012; now, Richter has moved on to composed paintings up to ten meters long that are being shown here for the first time.

Richter began working on small laquer paintings on glass in 2008; a series of them could already be seen in 2010 in the Kunstmsueum Winterthur's exhibition "The Nature of Art" They are followed now by "Flow," a group of works in larger formats that have a strong landscape- like effect. The clear contours of the lacquer paint, spreading out behind panes of glass, recall such natural phenomena as patterns on stones. As with the Strips, the inexhaustible possibilities of the color combinations put chance into play as a formative factor.

Glass is also the material for two large-scale sculptures that work with transparency and reflection, reality and appearance. It is no coincidence that the interlocking panes of glass of Richter's latest sculpture evoke Caspar David Friedrich's famous painting "The Sea of Ice", once again emphasizing Richter's close relationship to the German Romantic tradition.

The exhibition catalogue contains texts by Dieter Schwarz and Robert Storr. Cloth hardcover with dust jacket, 80 pages, 68 single-page and double-page color illustrations. 50 CHF The opening will take place on Friday, January 17, 2014, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with an introduction by Dr. Jürg Spiller, President of Kunstverein Winterthur, and a talk by Dr. Dieter Schwarz.

A parallel exhibition in the Drawings Cabinet of the Kunstmuseum Winterthur:

Gerhard Richter
From Elbe to November: Works on Paper from the Collection

18 January – 27 July 2014 The press viewing will be at the same time as the viewing for the exhibition Gerhard Richter: Strips and Glass

In 1999, the Gerhard Richter retrospective of drawings and watercolors curated by Dieter Schwarz and organized by the Kunstmuseum Winterthur was shown at several European museums. In connection with the preparations for that exhibition, a unique collection of Richter's works on paper was established; over the last few years, it has been the basis for a variety of Richter exhibitions, including shows at the Albertina and the Louvre. Now the whole collection will be presented in Winterthur for the first time.

The Winterthur collection includes drawings since the 1960s, as well as watercolors and oil paintings on paper or on photographs. Recently, the early 1957 cycle Elbe and the cycle November, created in 2008,have been added; they echo each other in surprising ways. Also two inkjet printed Strips on paper have been acquired; alongside the more traditional drawings in the proper sense, they substantially extend the museum's collection of Richter's works on paper. These two Strips, in which the order of lines and colors has been left entirely to chance, are among Richter's first works in this format. They correspond with the first pencil drawing in the collection, a 1966 work in which chance also takes the place of conscious shaping by the artist.

Richter's drawings are not studies for paintings; they are independent works that are close to the paintings in mood and musicality. This cabinet exhibition offers an alternative perspective on Richter's work.

Upon the opening of this exhibition, Richter donated an extensive set of 35 previously unknown drawings to the Kunstmuseum Winterthur. This new donation can now be seen for the first time as part of this exhibition. A press release on the donation will be published in January 2014.

Image: Strip 927-8, 2012, Digitaler Druck

Friday, January 17, 2014
Press tour 10 am Viewing of the exhibition; 11 am Press conference with the artist
Opening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Kunstmuseum Winterthur
Museumstrasse 52 CH-8400 Winterthur

stampa

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