Gerhard Richter: Beirut

Beirut presents a large gathering of Gerhard Richter’s overpainted photographs from the mid–1980s to the present. Rarely seen in print, these works merge the artist’s longstanding fascination with the respective languages and textures of photography and abstract painting. The imagery ranges from domestic and family photos to holiday snaps, landscapes, mountain ranges and studio shots, all drawn from Richter’s photographic archives. Also featured in this volume is Museum Visit, a series of 234 overpainted photographs, each of which was taken during a typical busy day at the Tate Modern. An essay by Achim Borchardt-Hume considers the overpainted photographs within Richter’s wider oeuvre, from the photo paintings of the 1960s to the 18 October 1977 cycle, from Atlas to War Cut. Borchardt-Hume asserts: “The photographs allow an insight into the private world of Richter, albeit an insight that is always seen--quite literally--through the veil of paint and painting.”