Gerhard Richter. 100 Werke für Berlin

Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Straße 50, 10785, Berlin

April 1, 2023 – December 31, 2027

The exhibition shows for the first time the long-term loan of the Gerhard Richter Kunststiftung to the Neue Nationalgalerie. The central work of the exhibition is the cycle ‘Birkenau’ (2014), consisting of four large-format abstract paintings. It is the result of Gerhard Richter's long and deep confrontation with the Holocaust and its depictability. The works are based on four photographs from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which the artist has transferred to four canvases using coal and oil paint, before gradually painting them over in abstract form. With each layer of paint, the painted template disappeared a little more until it was finally no longer visible. The work also includes a large, four-part mirror placed opposite the four Birkenau paintings, thus creating another level of reflection. In addition to the Birkenau cycle, almost 90 other works by the artist from several creative phases since the 1980s will be on display, including ‘Occupied House’ (1989), ‘4900 Farben’ (2007) and ‘Strip’ (2013/2016). A large collection also includes works from the important group of works in the overpainted photos, in which Richter addresses the field of tension between photography and painting on a new level. The presentation was created in close cooperation with the artist. In the future, Gerhard Richter's works will be presented in ever new contexts through curatorial and artistic interventions by artists from various fields.