The Richter Interviews: Richter Interviews

by Hans Ulrich Obrist

Insight into the minds of two of the art world’s most esteemed Richter, widely considered one of the greatest artists of our time, and Obrist, the preeminent commentator on and curator of contemporary art

Now in a compact hardback edition with a revised preface by Hans Ulrich Obrist and a special cover drawing by Gerhard Richter, this volume collects together a series of conversations between Obrist and Richter over the course of more than two decades of discussion and collaboration. Subjects range from Richter’s place within art history to artists’ books, architecture, religion, unrealized projects and his advice for young artists. The collection also includes a previously unpublished interview focused on Richter’s much-lauded window for Cologne Cathedral, unveiled in 2007.
Obrist’s vast knowledge and interrogating mind, coupled with his long-standing friendship with Richter, make him a unique interlocutor for an artist whose work spans more than 60 years and ranges from painting and photography to glass, printmaking, watercolor and books. Obrist deftly guides the reader through a dazzling array of topics and offers an invaluable historical perspective on Richter’s place within the art world of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Illustrations of discussed artworks by Richter feature throughout the texts for visual reference, making this an indispensable guide to the thinking and creative processes of one of the world’s most admired artists.

198 pages, Hardcover

Published August 22, 2023

About the author

Hans Ulrich Obrist is co-director of the Serpentine Gallery in London. Prior to this, he was Curator of the Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris from 2000 to 2006, as well as curator of Museum in progress, Vienna, from 1993 to 2000. Obrist has co-curated over 250 exhibitions since his first exhibition, the Kitchen show (World Soup) in 1991: including 1st Berlin Biennale, 1998; Utopia Station, 2003; 1st & 2nd Moscow Biennale, 2005 and 2007; Lyon Biennale, 2007; and Indian Highway, 2008-2011.
Obrist is the editor of a series of conversation books published by Walther Koenig. He has also edited the writings of Gerhard Richter, Gilbert & George and Louise Bourgeois. He has contributed to over 200 book projects, his recent publications include A Brief History of Curating, dontstopdontstopdontstopdontstop, The future will be…with M/M (Paris), Interview with Hans-Peter Feldmann, and Ai Wei Wei Speaks, along with two volumes of his selected interviews (Interviews: Vol. 1 & 2). The Marathon series of public events was conceived by Hans Ulrich Obrist in Stuttgart in 2005. The first in the Serpentine series, the Interview Marathon in 2006, involved interviews with leading figures in contemporary culture over 24 hours, conducted by Obrist and architect Rem Koolhaas. This was followed by the Experiment Marathon, conceived by Obrist and artist Olafur Eliasson in 2007, the Manifesto Marathon in 2008, the Poetry Marathon in 2009, Map Marathon in 2010, and the Garden Marathon in 2011.
In 2009, Obrist was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). In March 2011, he was awarded the Bard College Award for Curatorial Excellence.