Gerhard Richter

Characterized by their large scale and concentrated materiality, the six Cage paintings (2006) are constructed from intersecting lines, fields, and swaths of color applied with a broad squeegee. By varying the force with which he dragged this tool across the canvas, Richter added and, crucially, removed areas of paint to generate a highly unpredictable surface. The paintings are titled after influential composer, artist, and philosopher John Cage (1912–1992), whose music Richter was listening to when he produced the series. Cage’s pursuit of indeterminacy in music, reflected in his use of the I Ching and other chance operations as compositional tools, has always resonated with Richter, who has compared his own process to the act of arranging musical notes into a score.

Shown in conjunction with the Cage paintings is a group of abstract drawings Richter made in a single, characteristically intensive working session during the summer of 2020. Richter’s drawings function as autonomous works and have always been an important part of his oeuvre. In the compositions on view, he makes clear use of an eraser to help direct the graphite, emphasizing the self-reflexive nature of drawing, and echoing, perhaps, the subtractive strategy that the creation of the Cage paintings entails.

A catalogue, including an introduction by Larry Gagosian and a conversation between the artist and Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries in London, will be published to coincide with the exhibition.

A forthcoming episode of Gagosian Premieres will celebrate the exhibition with Obrist, featuring a musical performance by Patti Smith and new choreography created and performed by Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener in response to the work.