The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris is opening a major retrospective of Gerhard Richter's work, featuring 275 pieces spanning his entire career from the 1960s to recent ink-cloud drawings. Curated by Dieter Schwarz and Nicholas Serota at Richter's suggestion, the exhibition is strictly chronological and occupies over 3,000 square meters of Frank Gehry-designed space, drawing loans from public and private collections worldwide.
This retrospective matters because it offers a comprehensive look at Richter's six-decade career, highlighting his radical reinventions—from photographic paintings addressing German history to abstract squeegee works—and underscores his enduring influence as one of Germany's most significant living artists. The show also contextualizes Richter's legacy alongside contemporaries like Anselm Kiefer, emphasizing his unique, equivocal approach to historical memory and chance in art.