Gehard Richter's 'Abstraktes Bild' is Phillips Fall 2023 Auction Highlight

Renowned auction house Phillips has unveiled the main attraction of their latest Fall 2023 auction season - Gerhad Richter's 1987 painting, 'Abstraktes Bild.'

Philips has also announced that the painting will be taking a tour to Taiwan from Sept. 16 to 17, and later to Hong Kong between Sept. 28 to Oct. 7, before its arrival in New York on Nov. 4.

Richter fans and prospective buyers in Taipei can view the painting at B1 Art Gallery, whilst Hong Kong-based art lovers can head over to the Phillips Hong Kong office in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

The piece spans 13-feet lengthways and 9-feet in height, standing tall as one of the biggest paintings that Richter has ever completed, and one of the largest of his lots to be offered up for auction.

Comprising two large scale oil-on-canvas panels, 'Abstraktes Bild' is a display of Richter's brilliant sensibilities, blending his unique choice of a squeegee as a tool with his sharp eye as a colourist. The piece is a departure from the figurative paintings from earlier periods, instead emphasizing movement, liminality, and abstract ways of presenting emotions.

The canvases were first exhibited at Durand-Dessert in Paris a year following it's creation. Then in 1998, it was displayed at the prestigious Carnegie International, signifying Richter's rich output and the prestige he enjoyed during the era, and marking it as a work from one of his most important decades.

Other than this painting, there is only one other 'Abstraktes Bild' that was also created in 1987, currently residing in Lisbon's Museu Coleção Berardo.

'Abstraktes Bild' is slated to be auctioned on Nov. 14, at Phillip's Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art in New York. The price estimate is available on request, click here for more information.