Gerhard Richter : painting after all /

This sumptuous volume commemorates the final exhibition of the Met Breuer (which closed permanently, eight days after this exhibition opened, in the wake of the COVID pandemic) and also what may be, as stated by the artist, Richter's final major museum exhibition. The catalogue lives up to Richter's lofty role in the canon of art history, as it rigorously explores his decades-long and continuously evolving relationship with painting as a medium and mode of representation. Written by preeminent scholars in the US, London, and Richter's native Germany, the six essays in the catalogue dive deep into the artist's psychology and philosophy as they examine such intimate topics as his Birkenau paintings, family imagery, and landscapes, as well as his signature abstract works. Richter's less-studied photography and glass works are given due examination as well. Ancillary materials in this volume include a detailed bibliography and thorough index. Plates of exhibition items are in gray scale and color, and include foldout pages of large-scale works. This impressive volume is an essential resource on modern and contemporary art. Summing Up: Essential. Graduate students, researchers, faculty; general readers. --Alison Verplaetse, Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus