Gerhard Richter, born in Dresden in 1932, is one of the foremost painters of his generation. A great deal has been written about the remarkable heterogeneity of Richter's work, his seemingly wilful and defiant movement between abstract and figurative modes of representation, and his use of a variety of methods of applying paint to canvas. Central to his work is a strong set of values which throughout his career he has expressed in extensive notes and writings, and in provocative and memorable public declarations in which he shows himself to be the master of the paradoxical statement.

This volume makes available a comprehensive selection of Richter's texts, several published for the first time. These texts come from all periods of his career: letters and interviews; public statements about specific exhibitions; private reflections drawn from personal correspondence; answers to questions posed by critics; and excerpts from journals discussing the intentions, subjects, methods and sources of his work from various periods.

Complete with a comprehensive appendix, and accompanied by over a hundred photographs of artworks, works in progress, exhibition installations, colleagues and family, this book forms a brilliantly illuminating commentary on Richter's art, as well as providing a thought-provoking discussion on the status of art and the artist in society today.