Contemporary Art & Design presents Gerhard Richter

Gerhard Richter often works in series and it is not unusual for him to start with a photograph, create a painting and then duplicate his original work by making photographs and editions after his paintings. In his exhibitions, the same subjects are often shown side by side in different techniques. Throughout his career Richter has explored painting through an experimental and imaginative approach to its materials and techniques. His oeuvre ranges from realistic works based on found images and photographs to abstract paintings made with a rubber squeegee, two- and three-dimensional glass works, abstract drawings and painted photographs of everyday subjects. Portraits have been an important part of Richter's work since the 1960s. The models have been diverse, ranging from celebrities and icons of popular culture to family and friends. His portrait of Ella references two of his earlier works. One is the 1996 self-portrait and the other is one of his most famous paintings, "Betty" (663-5). The latter shows his eldest daughter, Babette, in a red and white patterned dressing gown with her head turned away. This work inspired the Swedish artist Anneè Olofsson, among others.

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