When it debuted in January, Gerhard Richter’s Strip Tower (962), a cruciform sculpture clad in glazed ceramic tiles, served as a vibrant contrast to the monochromatic landscape of Lake Silvaplana in Sils Maria, Switzerland. But as winter gives way to spring, open water and blooming flowers will eventually extend the supersaturated structure’s bright hues outward.
Installed by the Luma Foundation as part of its Elevation 1049 program promoting site-responsive art in the Alps, the totem will remain on view through spring 2029 — evolving with the seasons to reflect Richter’s own long-term relationship with Sils Maria. Ever since his first trip to the area in 1989, the German artist has appreciated the reflective mood of its majestic landscape. Now, he hopes this artwork will inspire others to make repeat pilgrimages of their own. Appropriately, the passing of time and the power of repetition also played a role in the creation of the piece: Richter developed his 2010 Strip Paintings series (and, subsequently, this sculpture) by photographing, scanning and manipulating one of his nineties-era paintings — dividing it into vertical strips that abstract the past to create something new.
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