The opening of the exhibition "Abstraction and image", Gerhard Richter — one of the most successful living artists — will take place on November 9 at the Jewish Museum and tolerance centre

the Jewish Museum and tolerance center
9 Nov 2016 — 5 Feb 2017
Moscow, Obraztsova St., 11, p. 1A

the Exhibition at the Jewish Museum and tolerance centre dedicated to the research of Gerhard Richter in the field of abstraction.

This is the first large-scale solo exhibition of Richter in Russia, which will showcase works spanning the period from 1973 to 2016. It is a symbolic work illustrating important phases of the master and the variety of techniques: Gray (1973), Aladin (1999) and a collection of "Abstract painting" (2016).

the Centre of the exhibition is the installation "Birkenau" (2014) — a series of four large format abstract paintings, inspired by photographs taken prisoner concentration camp in August 1944. According to the artist, any attempt to realistically show the largest tragedy in the history of mankind will look pathetic; paintings from the series "Birkenau" far from photooriginal, however, a strong emotional impact from images they communicated through the language of non-objective painting. The installation also includes four full-sized photos-оригиналы and 93 parts of these images. "Birkenau" (2014) experts are among the most important works of art of recent years.

the Theme of the search for the image presented in other sections of the exhibition: Halifax (1978) @128 mdas details of abstract paintings; War Cut (2004) — 20 prints and abstract fragments of the early paintings; special project Museum Visits — a collection of 24 "sketched" pictures, exploring the relationship of the image and abstraction@the semicolon Elbe, November, and Tag, as well as one of the most famous "mirror" paintings by Gerhard Richter Spiegel Grau (1991).

First paintings based on photographs, Gerhard Richter created in 1962. Initially, the artist used images from magazines, photos from the family album and the snapshots he brought friends. Photographic images Richter transformed in portraits, landscapes, still lifes and city views. Known artist brought the early figurative things and works which depicted blurry, distorted, begin research to Gerhard Richter's complex, multi-faceted relationship of reality and perceived image.

"I Have no reason not to trust reality, of which I know almost nothing. I don't trust the image that we broadcast our imperfect and limited senses" — says G. Richter.

the interest of the Richter scale to search for the nature of the way the years only increased. In 1970-е years he begins to paint abstract paintings. "You want to know what to see, and try to capture it in the picture. Then you illuminate what you may not realize the reality. Everything you see is only what you see, this is reality", — believes Richter.

the curator of the exhibition: Paul Moorhouse —, an art historian and senior curator, 20th century at the National Portrait Gallery (London).

Source: press-релиз the Jewish Museum and tolerance center