Born in Dresden in 1931, Gerhard Richter left the former GDR in 1961 to study in Dusseldorf, later living and working in Cologne. His practice has redefined the medium of painting, combining a rigorous conceptual approach with a sumptuous yet elusive beauty. His mastery of genres spans landscapes, portraiture, still life and abstraction.

Lying at the heart of his practice is an ongoing project that commenced in 1964 and continues to this day. Atlas comprises over five thousand photographs, drawings, diagrams and proposals that are the foundation of Richter's oeuvre. Sometimes used as a source for his painting, Richter's album of pictures also demonstrates the complex dialogues he explores between painting and photography, history and memory, perception and representation.

This book provides a critical tool for navigating Atlas, bringing together Richter's own writings alongside commentaries by an international range of curators, critics and art historians. Originally published in 2003 to coincide with Gerhard Richter: Atlas at the Whitechapel Gallery, this updated edition also includes a review of the exhibition by Adrian Searle