Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild, 1990: Paint, Dragged and Revealed 

Lougher Contemporary is delighted to present Gerhard Richter’s Abstraktes Bild (Butin/Gronert 284), 1990. It is a signed, numbered and dated edition from one of the most celebrated periods of the artist’s career. Issued in an edition of just XX, it carries the dark, layered surfaces of Richter’s Abstrakte Bilder, the abstract paintings that redefined painting in the late twentieth century. 

The Squeegee: Painting by Chance 

From the 1980s onwards, Richter built his abstract paintings with a large squeegee. He dragged wet paint across the canvas, then dragged again, layer over layer. Each pass both adds and erases. 

Colours buried underneath break through where the blade skips, and the surface on top is pulled into long vertical streaks. The final image is the product of both decision and chance. Richter could set the conditions, but never fully control the outcome. The paintings he made around 1990 are among the most admired of his career.

The Image: Plum, Crimson and a Flurry of White 

Deep plum and oxblood verticals run the full height of the image, as if the colour has been pulled downwards in long, wet drags. Across the centre, a dense flurry of white and pale blue flecks breaks the surface, where the squeegee has scraped back to reveal the layers below. 

Flashes of cobalt rise on the right, a band of olive and green settles along the bottom edge, and small islands of white catch the light at the margins. It is a dark, atmospheric composition, with the same push and pull between concealment and revelation that drives the paintings. 

The Edition: XVII of XX 

The image is printed in offset lithography on wove paper, at 60 × 80 cm. It is signed and dated Richter, 1990 in pencil at lower right and numbered XVII/XX in Roman numerals at lower left. The generous white margins frame the image like a painting on a wall. 

A Collector’s Perspective 

Richter’s abstract paintings sit among the most sought-after works in contemporary art. This edition offers a signed and numbered work from the same moment, from an edition of just XX, at a scale that sits comfortably in a home. 

For collectors who have followed Richter’s abstraction, or who are looking for a first signed Richter, Abstraktes Bild is a direct, signed record of his most influential way of painting. 

Artwork details and enquiry 

• Gerhard Richter (German, b. 1932) 
• Abstraktes Bild (Butin/Gronert 284), 1990 
• Offset lithograph on wove paper 
• 60 × 80 cm (23.6 × 31.5 in) 
• Edition XVII/XX 
• Signed, numbered and dated on the front 
• Price on request 

Interested in the Richter?

We would be pleased to provide pricing, further imagery and condition details on request.