Gerhard Richter Painting

Director: Corinna Belz, colour, 101 min., 2009-11

He is considered one of the most important contemporary painters who “saved painting in the 21st century” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).

Gerhard Richter, born in 1932 in Dresden, was trained at the Academy of Fine Arts there, and, after escaping to West Germany, at the National Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf. Since then, Richter has received numerous international awards, and his exhibitions have been celebrated around the world. The filmmaker Corinna Belz was able to observe the artist during his daily work in the studio; she documents the creative process of several paintings – up to the gallery opening in New York. With her sensitive curiosity she has created a unique documentary, far removed from all traditional portraits of artists, some of which are more academic than others.