Abstract Painting 780-1

1992

Gerhard Richter

Painter, German, born 1932

Streaks of vibrant lemon yellow, plum purple, cobalt blue, spring and mint green, cotton candy pink, and crimson red are layered and blended in loose columns in this vertical abstract painting. The artist created this by pulling a long squeegee—as tall as this canvas—across from our left to right to smear and expose layers of paint. Vertical bands of contrasting color suggest that the squeegee was paused or pressed down at intervals. For instance, in a field dominated by bright yellow on the right half of the composition, one vertical band exposes underlayers of bubblegum pink and azure blue. The left half of the painting is mostly blues, greens, and purples, with touches of the same yellow that covers much of the right half. Separating the two halves, a wide streak with slate blue, turquoise, plum purple, white, and yellow blend in some areas to almost make brown.
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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Marian Goodman Gallery, New York); purchased by the NGA Collectors Committee; gift 1993 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1993

  • Gerhard Richter: New Paintings, Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, 1993.

2002

  • Gerhard Richter: Forty Years of Painting, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Art Institute of Chicago; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2002-2003, not in cat. (shown only in Washington).

Inscriptions

lower right reverse: Richter / 1992; upper left reverse: 780-1

Wikidata ID

Q20198025


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