Edited by Joe Hage and Hans Ulrich Obrist, this publication offers as of 2025 the most comprehensive account of Richter’s Overpainted Photographs, a body of work he began creating in the mid-1980s and developed over the following decades.

The six-volume edition features contributions from world-renowned cultural voices, including curator of contemporary art Hans Ulrich Obrist; art critics Robert Storr and the late Achim Borchardt-Hume; Siri Hustvedt and Botho Strauss. The Overpainted Photographs, drawn mostly from the artist’s personal snapshots, depict landscapes, cityscapes, family moments and travels.

Using oil paint or lacquer, Richter employs techniques such as pressing photos onto paint, flicking droplets and applying paint with squeegees or spatulas. The dialogue between the smooth photographic surface and the tactile texture of the paint―marked by gaps and ripples―invites associations with patterns, shapes and colors, ultimately challenging our perception of the captured reality.