Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild, 1987. Oil on canvas, in 2 parts, each 102 3/8 x 78 7/8 in. (260 x 200.3 cm); overall 102 3/8 x 157 3/4 in. (260 x 400.7 cm). © 2023 Phillips Auctioneers, LLC

NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips presented the star lot of the fall auction season – Gerhard Richter’s exceptional Abstraktes Bild. Painted in 1987 and comprised of two large-scale panels, the work is over thirteen feet wide and nearly nine feet tall, making this one of the largest works from Richter’s oeuvre to ever be offered at auction. Following a tour to Taipei and Hong Kong, the monumental painting will be exhibited in New York in the lead up to the Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, where it will be offered with an estimate available upon request.

Jeremiah Evarts, Deputy Chairman, Americas, Senior International Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said, “A towering example from the most significant body of work in Richter’s career to date, we are honored to present Abstraktes Bild as the cornerstone of our fall auction season. Bearing extraordinary exhibition history, the significance of this painting’s place in the artist’s oeuvre cannot be overstated. The work was first exhibited at Durand-Dessert, Paris in 1988. A decade later, it was shown at the prestigious Carnegie International, a sign of the work’s enduring ability to represent Richter’s artistic output of the 1980s, arguably the most important decade of his career. With the market for similar paintings by Richter from this period finding homes in some of the most prestigious collections across the globe, we look forward to presenting this remarkable work to Phillips’ community of collectors.”

Abstraktes Bild displays Richter’s virtuosity in abstraction and his inimitable talent as a colorist. With Richter’s unique use of the squeegee, a tool he began using for abstract work just one year prior, the artwork captures the movement of the artist's body through the painting process. Painted shortly after the artist moved away from his figurative, photo-based painting, Abstraktes Bild reveals the explosive power, depth of color, and emotional resonance that would distinguish Richter as one of the most profound abstract painters of his generation.

Besides the present work, there is only one other Abstraktes Bild created in 1987, of similarly epic scale, which resides in the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon. Similar Abstrakte Bilder from 1986 to 1989 – Richter’s most desirable period – populate esteemed public and private collections around the world, including those of The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Ergo Versicherungsgruppe AG, Düsseldorf; Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional, São Paulo; Carré d’Art, Nîmes; Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; and the Saint Louis Art Museum, which owns the iconic November, Dezember, Januar paintings of 1989.

International Tour Dates :
Taiwan: 15-17 September 2023
Hong Kong: 28 September – 7 October 2023
New York: 4-14 November 2023

Auction Information:
Auction: 14 November 2023
Location: 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY