Over seven years in preparation, this book makes available a selection of Richterís texts, from all periods of his career, many translated for the first time; letters and interviews; public statements about specific exhibitions; private reflections from personal correspondence; answers to questions posed by critics; and excerpts from journals discussing the intentions, subjects, methods and sources of his works. Accompanied by biographical photographs from the artistís personal collection, these texts form a brilliantly illuminating commentary on Richterís art, as well as providing a thought-provoking discussion on the status of art in society today. Gerhard Richter, born in Dresden in 1932, is one of the foremost painters of his generation. A great deal has been written about the bewildering heterogeneity of his work over the past thirty years, 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.