HENI Publishing presents Gerhard Richter: The Overpainted Photographs, A Comprehensive Catalogue. Edited by Joe Hage and Hans Ulrich Obrist, this landmark publication offers the most comprehensive account of Gerhard Richter’s Overpainted Photographs, a body of work he began creating in the mid-1980s and developed over the following decades.?
The illustrated six-volume edition, housed in an elegant slipcase, features contributions from esteemed cultural voices, including world-renowned curator of contemporary art, Hans Ulrich Obrist; distinguished art critics and curators Robert Storr and the late Achim Borchardt-Hume; literary giants Siri Hustvedt
and Botho Strauss; as well as prominent art historians Dorothée Brill, Stefan Gronert, Aline Guillermet, Christine Mehring, Paul Moorhouse and Uwe M. Schneede. The catalogue will be available on HENI Publishing and in all good bookstores across the UK on 5 December 2024, and in the US on 11 February
2025.
The Overpainted Photographs comprises photographs which Richter has adapted by painting over the initial image, partly concealing it under layers of paint. The photographs are predominantly the artist’s personal snapshots, and encompass diverse subjects, including landscapes, cityscapes, intimate family
moments and travels. Richter employed either oil paint or lacquer for overpainting. Some of his techniques include pressing the photos facedown onto paint to transfer the paint onto their surfaces, flicking paint droplets onto the photos and applying paint with squeegees or spatulas.
These processes resulted in unique pieces characterised by irregular layers of bright, marbled colours that either obscure or complement the underlying image. The dialogue between the smooth photographic surface and the tactile texture of the paint – marked by gaps and ripples – invites associations with patterns, shapes and colours, ultimately challenging our perception of the captured reality.
All images: Gerhard Richter The Overpainted Photographs A Comprehensive Catalogue Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates, London © Gerhard Richter
UK 5th December 2024 US 11th February 2025, 978-1-911736-16-5, £600.00 / $850.00
260 × 220 mm (10¼ × 8¾ in.) 6 x HB vols in slipcase, pp 2464 1908 colour Imprint HENI Printed in Italy. BUY: heni.com/publishing
