Gerhard Richter

Life and work

Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist born in 1932 in Dresden. He trained first at the Dresden Art Academy under the East German state system and moved to West Germany in 1961, settling in Dusseldorf and studying at the Kunstakademie there before later joining its teaching staff. Alongside Sigmar Polke he helped shape a loose current sometimes called capitalist realism, an ironic answer to both East German state art and West German consumer culture. Since the 1960s he has worked in parallel across photo based paintings rendered with a soft blur, gestural abstract paintings built with a large squeegee, glass and mirror pieces, and a long running series of prints, photo editions and multiples. He later moved his studio to Cologne, where he continues to work.

Disciplines and how they differ in the saleroom

Richter's output splits across several markets that behave differently at auction. Unique paintings, both figurative and abstract, form the top tier and are handled almost exclusively by the major international houses. Below that sit his prints and photo editions, offset lithographs, screenprints, chromogenic prints mounted under Diasec, and small multiples such as mirrors on cork or glass panels, most issued in numbered editions from ten to several hundred copies. These editions are the segment most often seen at regional and continental European houses, and it is the segment LLB Auction has sold from, offering pieces across several sales rather than a single unique painting. Because editions were produced over six decades and through different publishers, condition, edition size and whether a sheet is signed all move price meaningfully within the same image.

What a specialist examines

For an edition or multiple, a specialist starts with the signature and number in the margin or on the verso, checked against the edition size and publisher stated on the sheet, since some images were issued in a smaller signed run alongside a larger unsigned run of the same picture. Dating relies on the print or edition date printed or stamped on the work, cross checked against the publisher and the paper or support used. Provenance documents, any gallery or publisher invoice, and exhibition history all support the piece. Condition points specific to the medium matter too, offset prints are checked for toning and handling creases, Diasec mounted prints for delamination at the edges, and mirror or glass multiples for chips or corrosion of the backing. The body that catalogues and documents this material is listed under Career.

Market position

At auction, Richter's editions have realised a wide range of prices depending on medium, edition size and date. Ketterer Kunst sold the offset print Sils for 15000 EUR in 2021, and the Diasec mounted print Flow for 9875 EUR in 2019. Grisebach's hammer price for another example of Flow reached 15000 EUR in 2021. Phillips in New York sold the early collotype Mao for 3302 USD in 2025, Bonhams in London sold the pair of offset lithographs Victoria I and Victoria II for 2750 GBP in 2012, and Bonhams in New York sold a mirror multiple for 5100 USD in 2021. These results, spread across German, British and American houses, show an active and liquid market for Richter's editions distinct from the market for his unique paintings.

Preparing a valuation request

A seller preparing a Richter edition or multiple for valuation should gather the original invoice or any gallery or publisher documentation, clear photographs of the signature, edition number and any publisher stamp on the front and verso, the exact medium and dimensions, and a note of the publisher and year printed on the sheet. A condition report describing toning, creasing, delamination or backing damage specific to the medium is useful, as is any record of past exhibition or inclusion in a Richter publication. Where the work is a unique painting rather than an edition, provenance and exhibition history become still more important given the scale of that market.