Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist who has produced abstract and photorealistic paintings over the last five decades. Born in Dresden, Saxony, he studied at the Dresden Art Academy in 1951, and went on to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.
Many paintings are based on newspaper photographs and books – sometimes even incorporating the captions. His “blur” technique is produced by the touch of a soft brush over the canvas, or a hard smear of a squeegee. In 1969 Richter started producing abstract paintings: some based on colour charts or the textures resulting from different methods of paint application.
Detail and colour clarity are always part of his work. Waves of minimalism appear and disappear again. Nowadays, Richter’s position on the art market is high. In 2008 his painting “Zwei Liebespaare” was sold for $14,3 million. The band Sonic Youth used his painting “Kerze” for their album Daydream Nation in 1987.