Bagdad (P10), 2014

Gerhard Richter’s edition Bagdad (P10) is a striking facsimile of his original painting from 2010 – an abstract work made by pouring vivid enamel paints onto a flat surface. The resulting composition captures the unpredictable interactions between pigments: some blend fluidly into one another, while others remain defiantly distinct, as seen in the deep blue form near the top. Once the paint had settled into a dynamic, almost psychedelic pattern, Richter imposed finality by pressing a pane of glass over the surface, freezing the movement and introducing a cool, detached sheen. The Diasec-mounted chromogenic print on aluminum echoes this sense of separation, transforming the original into an autonomous artwork that simultaneously reproduces and abstracts. In revisiting his painting through the lens of reproduction, Richter inverts the logic of his photo-based works, opening a new path toward abstraction that questions materiality, surface, and perception.