Gerhard Richter, Goldberg Variationen, 1984, (66 - 100) © Gerhard Richter, 2011, Foto Olbricht Collection, Achim Kukulies, Düsseldorf.

BERLIN.- From 12 February to 13 May 2012, me Collectors Room Berlin presents the exhibition Gerhard Richter – Editions 1965–2011. 

Gerhard Richter has secured an international reputation as one of the most important and successful German artists of current times. Although most famous for his paintings, over the last few years his editions have also increasingly become the focus of attention. The Olbricht Collection is probably the only private art collection in the world to contain virtually all of Gerhard Richter's editions, spanning a period from 1965 to 2011. 

The major retrospective of Richter's oil paintings at the Neue Nationalgalerie, held to coincide with his 80th birthday, presents us with a unique opportunity to unveil a parallel exhibition in Berlin that will place the spotlight on his diverse oeuvre of editions. 

In 1998 he summed up the importance of this particular part of his oeuvre in a letter to the Museum of Modern Art New York: 'I saw, and still see, editions as a welcome counterpart to producing paintings, which are one-offs. Editions are a wonderful opportunity to present my work to a wider audience.' 

The editions offer the artist the chance to try out and experiment with new artistic possibilities. For this reason, they cover a broad variety of media and genres, in which we see the artist applying widely different essential strategies: figuration, abstraction, monochromy, optical illusion, reflection, grids, geometric constructions, to name but a few. 

The exhibition comprises some 150 works and presents Gerhard Richter's graphic prints, photographic editions, multiples, editions of paintings, artist's books and artist's posters. Among the works on show are popular motifs based on famous paintings, such as the photographic editions Ema (Nude on a Staircase) and Uncle Rudi, graphic editions, including Mao, Elisabeth, Betty, Canary Landscapes and Colour Fields, multiples such as Sphere and Mirror, as well as editions in oil such as Grey and Fuji. 

Curator: Wolfgang Schoppmann, Consultant: Hubertus Butin

Gerhard Richter, Fuji, 1996, (55 - 110) © Gerhard Richter, 2011, Foto Olbricht Collection, Jana Ebert.