translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
030208: Museum Frieder Burda: Gerhard Richter - Paintings from Private Collections
Museum Frieder Burda: Gerhard Richter – Paintings from Private Collections
Pop and workmanship
It was during Gerhard Richter’s early years: the canvas depicted Vico Torriani surrounded by four young women tasting a new year’s punch in 1962 (reproduced from black and white source material). Obviously the artist was not in the least satisfied with his work and decided to add some more finishing touches. He literally attacked the canvas with a knife, patched up the wounds with a few meagre stitches, poured colour over the backside of the canvas so that it oozed out like blood on the front. Finally he hammered some nails into the ladies shins. He then considered the painting a complete failure and gave it to Günther Uecker to decorate his cellar.
But Frieder Burda had obviously taken to the mistreated celebrities on this early painting of Richter’s as it is now in his possession together with a remarkable number of others. Gerhard Richter has been invited as co-curator of the exhibit in the Frieder Burda Museum and quickly placed his unloved early work where he found it most fitting: in the cellar, close to the toilets.
In the three floors above the basement, 60 collections from important private collections are displayed and offer a look at nearly 4 decades of Richter’s painting. Next to Frieder Burda’s collection you will find works from the Collections Böckmann and Ströher as well as some pieces from Gerhard Richter’s private collection.
Richter’s oeuvre mainly reflects the medium of painting. It is absolutely consequent that pictures taken from magazines, family photographs or from other sources, which are then painted by Richter onto canvas, are led back into the art historical sections such as still life, landscape, history painting or portrait. Gerhard Richter’s work is an unexpected encounter with gestures of pop and German workmanship.
Museum Frieder Burda
76530 Baden-Baden, Lichtentaler Allee 8b, until 27. 04. 08
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030208
Museum Frieder Burda
76530 Baden-Baden, Lichtentaler Allee 8 b
Tel: +49 (0) 72 21 / 3 98 98-0, Fax: +49 (0) 72 21 / 3 98 98-30
Email: office@museum-frieder-burda.de
http://www.sammlung-frieder-burda.de
Öffnungszeiten: Di - So 11.00 - 18.00
Museum Frieder Burda
76530 Baden-Baden, Lichtentaler Allee 8 b
Tel: +49 (0) 72 21 / 3 98 98-0, Fax: +49 (0) 72 21 / 3 98 98-30
Email: office@museum-frieder-burda.de
http://www.sammlung-frieder-burda.de
Öffnungszeiten: Di - So 11.00 - 18.00