Gerhard Richter

Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2000

Dietmar Elger, ed., Gerhard Richter, Maler, Cologne, 2002, p. 419
Hubertus Butin, Stefan Gronert and the Dallas Museum of Art, eds., Gerhard Richter: Editions 1965-2004, Catalogue Raisonné, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2004, cat. no. 109, p. 259, illustrated
Exh. Cat., Düsseldorf, K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen; Munich, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau, Gerhard Richter (Catalogue Raisonné 1993-2004), February - August 2005, cat. no. 856/1-7, p. 315, illustrated
Helmut Friedel, Gerhard Richter Atlas, Cologne, 2011, p. 853

This work is in very good condition overall. There are signs of light handling and wear along the sides of the glass panel. There is a minor loss at the top edge of the work where the black meets the red, which is located 13 inches from the upper left corner. The surface of the glass is smooth and untarnished. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"I wasn’t commissioned to depict the German flag. I was stimulated by the theme, even though Palermo existed and that famous flag by Jasper Johns." Gerhard Richter, 2006

The present work comes from a series of German flag paintings that Gerhard Richter created in conjunction with Schwarz, Rot, Gold (CR: 856) from 1999, a project commissioned by the German Bundestag in 1999. When the Reichstag was inaugurated in Berlin as the new German parliament in April 1999, nineteen artists were called on to create new works that directly refer to the building and its history to commemorate the reunification of the country. Among the select few included Richter, Joseph Beuys, Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke and Christo. To this day, these artistic projects still represent one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Germany.

For the Reichstag project, Richter investigated several possible variations of colors, patterns and sizes in sketches as well as paintings, finally settling on the colors of the German flag as the basis of his composition. While the blacks, reds and golds provide a symbolic reference that marks the reunification of Germany, the theme of national identity also stems from Richter’s post-war works that address issues of violence and memory-destruction following the holocaust. The smoothness of the material and banality of the subject matter negate any direct ties with the country’s painful past, yet the context of the commission very much ties the work in with politics of post-Nazi Germany.  The final product of the Reichstag project is a monumental version of the present work, made of 6 panels of enameled glass measuring nearly 805 inches tall and 117 inches wide. It has been hanging majestically in the foyer of the Reichstag building in Berlin since its inauguration in 1999.