«I saw, and still see, editions as a welcome counterpart to producing paintings, which are unique pieces. Editions are a wonderful opportunity to present my work to a wider audience.»
(Gerhard Richter in a letter to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1998)
Curated by Hubertus Butin and Wolfgang Schoppmann.
Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo presents the exhibition Gerhard Richter – Editions 1965–2012.
Gerhard Richter is one of the most important and most successful German artists of the present day. He is best known for his paintings, which have become a common feature in museum collections all over the world. But in the last few years, his editions have also increasingly become the focus of attention for collectors, museum curators and art enthusiasts.
Professor Thomas Olbricht has collected Gerhard Richter’s editions for over 20 years now, managing to acquire all of the artist’s editions (with one exception), totaling over 150 works.
The Olbricht Collection is probably the only private collection in the world to contain virtually all of Gerhard Richter’s editions from 1965 to 2012.
Editions are original works of art that are not produced as unique pieces but in a certain number of impressions: prints, photographic editions, editions of paintings, artist’s books, artist’s posters and multiples (three-dimensional objects).
Gerhard Richter’s works originate in an attitude of deep reflectiveness. He thoroughly explores the possibilities and conditions of today’s art production with a sharply critical look. In doing this, he brings up some basic questions, such as ‘what is an image’? what can an image be in the context of our media-dominated society, and of long-lived art historical traditions? In tackling these issues, he does not restrict himself to any specific style or medium, which clearly points to the universal nature of his demands.
"Gerhard Richter – Editions 1965-2012" is presented in Turin as part of an exchange project between the Olbricht Collection and the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. The exhibition first opened in Berlin early in 2012, at the me Collectors Room. In 2014 the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo collection will be hosted in Berlin.
