Press Release February 2022
In 2022, Saxony’s State of the Arts Starts with
Gerhard Richter in Dresden
From February 5 to May 1, the special exhibition, GERHARD RICHTER, will celebrate
the 90th birthday of this artist who worked and studied in Dresden
New York, New York February 2022 Starting off 2022 with an artistic flare is the Gerhard Richter exhibition celebrating the 90th birthday of this prolific artist who once called Dresden home. Not only was Richter born in Dresden but he also has a special professional connection to the city as his archive is housed at the Albertinum, one of the museums of the Dresden State Art Collections.
The exhibition, “GERHARD RICHTER. Portraits. Glass. Abstractions” will run from February 5 to May 1 in three rooms of the upper floor of the Albertinum. Richter himself picked pieces for the exhibition from his private collection as well as from the archive while additional pieces are on loan from other international institutions. The themes of the exhibition focus on images of the Richter’s family in one room; abstracts from recent years in another room; and works of glass and mirrors in the third room.
The Gerhard Richter Archive is intended as a center for research and communication concerning the works of Gerhard Richter. It collects and documents all books, catalogues, journals and articles, photographs, videos and CDs that are published about the artist or contain relevant information and contributions about him and his artistic context. An important section of the Archive’s holdings contains unpublished writings and documents, correspondence and photographs.
Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden on February 9th, 1932, the first child of Horst and Hildegard Richter. He was recognized early on as a gifted student but the war profoundly impacted Richter and his family, with the death of his brothers and sister, and had a lasting effect on Richter's education and artistic practice.
The family had moved away from Dresden but Richter returned to the city to study at the Academy of Fine Arts when he was 18 and graduated after five years. The time at the Academy was important as the students studied and worked for eight hours every day being trained in all aspects of artistic expression and output. Throughout this time, Richter developed deep roots in Dresden making friends, meeting his wife, and maintaining close ties with his Academy mentors and supporters.
According to his website, upon completing his studies in 1956, Richter was accepted into an Academy program for promising graduates. In exchange for teaching evening classes to the public, he received a studio and income for the next three years. Richter showed great skill and aptitude and was recognized for his talents by the governing officials and Dresden institutions.
At the end of the 1950s, however, Richter was aware that there were developments in the art world in the West that were not being practiced in the East. When he visited the contemporary art exhibit, the Dokumenta, in 1959, he saw art and paintings by Jackson Pollock, Jean Fautrier and became even more aware that there were developments and directions in expressing art that were not available to him in the East. So, in 1961, Richter and his wife left Dresden for the West and settled in Duesseldorf where he attended the Duesseldorf Art Academy (Kunstakademie Duesseldorf) for three years. From there, Richter developed his work and his life, friendships and colleagues who all played important roles. In the ensuing decades Richter won more and more acclaim and international recognition for his paintings. Today, he is one of the most well-known and respected living artists in the world. So, it is with great pride that Dresden and the Albertinum are able to host this exhibition and to highlight the role of Dresden in the artist’s professional development.
If you are planning a trip to Dresden, there are a number of other exhibitions at the State Art Collections Dresden that are worth visiting. And the permanent collections are worth a trip in and of themselves and are part of the heart and soul of the city. The State Art Collections of Dresden is comprised of 16 individual museums, as well as additional institutions, such as the Gerhard Richter Archive, located in eight buildings in Dresden, Leipzig and Herrnhut. The Albertinum, where the Richter Archive, is located is right in the heart of the old town and offers masterpieces of art and sculpture from Caspar David Friedrich to Gerhard Richter. Saxony is truly a State of the Arts and worth a visit any time of the year.
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