Among the contemporary art masters, Richter Gerhard Richter is among the top in terms of status, fame and value.
Riding on the Asian art market's "westerly winds and eastward winds" trend in recent years, Christie's Hong Kong's autumn auction this season will bring the master's collection of abstract masterpieces, estimated at HK$128 million - 166 million, the highest-valued Licht works in the history of Asian auctions, and will be held on December 1.
Gerhard Richter (b. 1932)
《Abstract Painting 747-1》
Oil on canvas
Created in: 1991
Size: 200 x 200 cm
Estimate: HK$128,000,000 - 166,000,000
The most expensive living artist in history has swept the world's auction houses
Richter's works have achieved outstanding results in auctions around the world, repeatedly breaking 100 million and constantly breaking records.
In 2015, his abstract paintings sold for £30.38 million (about HK$364 million) at the London auction house, making him the world's highest-valued living artist, a record that was not broken until three years later.
Richter at the Museo Nacional des Arts, Reina Sofia, Madrid, in 1995
On the other side of the globe, in Asia, Richter is also highly sought after. In recent years, the Asian art market has set off a trend of "west wind and eastward wind", and auction houses have brought more and more Western works of art to Asia, and the transaction prices have repeatedly reached new highs. Richter was the watchman of this boom, with Abstract Painting 649-2 sold for HK$214 million in Hong Kong and was once the "Most Expensive Western Art Ever Auctioned in Asia".
Such auction results reflect the desire of Asian collectors for the best western art. This time, Christie's Hong Kong brought the museum-level Abstract Painting 747-1, estimated at HK$128 million to 166 million, which is the highest-valued Licht work in Asia's history and is expected to take it to the next level.
Surging ambition at the pinnacle of his artistic career
Richter entered the world of abstract art around the 1960s, and by the 1980s he had matured and become a great hero. Richter developed a unique style of creation: using a scraper as a tool to wipe the paint on the canvas, blurring the contours of the picture and revealing different layers of texture effects. This technique breaks away from the shackles of the brush, which can be said to open a new chapter in abstract art.
In the early 1990s, after years of study, the German giant's abstract creations could be described as reaching a state of perfection. His creations between 1986 and 1992 are the most skillful and powerful works, and are highly regarded by collectors. Nine of the world's ten most expensive Richter works were completed during this period.
Richter pioneered the "scraping" technique
This appearance at Christie's Hong Kong's Abstract Painting 747-1 was created in 1991, coinciding with the golden years of Richter's artistic career.
In this work, Richter uses his signature "scraping" method to repeatedly and carefully process the texture of the picture, blending bright and thick colors, rich in layers, full of dramatic tension and mystery. The work fully demonstrates Richter's excellent skill in mastering color, as well as his talent for grasping the emotional power of color.
The work is 200 x 200 cm in size, the same as Abstract Painting 649-2, which was once the "most expensive Western art ever auctioned in Asia".
Review the general introduction to the licht's art chapter
In the eyes of the artist himself, this "Abstract Painting 747-1" is of special significance, and has appeared in museum exhibitions many times.
In the same year, Richter held his first retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. The exhibition features a number of classic works created by Richter since the 1960s, throughout his artistic journey. Among the many masterpieces, he specially selected this "Abstract Painting 747-1" to open, which shows the importance of this work.
Since then, the work has also been featured in museums, in European capitals such as Paris, Bonn, Stockholm and Madrid.
The painting was later purchased by gallerist Galleries Gallerie Liliane and Michel Durant-Dessert. The duo's gallery in Paris has exhibited many avant-garde works of art from the twentieth century, which is bold and pioneering.
Richter