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The Arts Intel Report

Vija Celmins, Gerhard Richter: Double Vision

Gerhard Richter, Seascape (Sea-Sea), 1970.

May 12 – Aug 27, 2023
Glockengießerwall 5, 20095 Hamburg, Germany

Gerhard Richter and Vija Celmins were born six years apart—Richter in 1932 in Dresden, Germany, and Celmins in 1938, in Riga, Latvia. Richter never left his native country. Celmins had to leave hers: when the Soviets occupied Latvia, the Celmins family fled to Germany, and then to America, where they settled in Indianapolis. Richter is known for his abstract works, and Celmins for her detailed studies of nature—subjects such as spiderwebs and rocks. In their photorealistic paintings, however, they converge. This exhibition presents 60 paintings, drawings, prints, and objects by the two artists, who are now 90 and 84, respectively. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Neue Nationalgalerie/© Gerhard Richter 2023