This exhibition features German artist Gerhard Richter, one of the greatest artists of our age. It is the first Richter show at a museum in Japan in 16 years and the very first one in Tokyo. Richter has consistently tried presenting the principle of how we see and perceive objects, moving back and forth between representation and abstraction using a variety of materials such as oil paintings, photographs, digital prints, glass, and mirrors. The principle concerns not only optical perception, but also perceptions formed by a complex web of aspects, including the history of art, contemporary visual culture, the history of 20th century Germany, the memories of the artist himself and his family, and audiences’ desire to see things. In 2022, when the artist has turned 90 years old, the exhibition will trace his consistent but wide-ranging practices over the last 60 years, showcasing about 110 works, mostly from the collection of Gerhard Richter Foundation. The exhibits include a variety of items ranging from early works to the newest drawings.

Birkenau is a work consisting of four large paintings. In the venue, this work is displayed with four photographic duplicates of exactly the same size as the paintings, as well as a large horizontal mirror work (Grey Mirror). Although apparently abstract paintings, hidden underneath are layers of images that were copied from photographs secretly taken by a prisoner at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Richter attempted to work on the subject of the Holocaust several times since the 1960s, but was unable to find an appropriate expression for this serious issue and had given up. After completing this work in 2014, Richter mentioned that he felt "free" from his artistic task. Birkenau can therefore be viewed as a major achievement as well as a turning point for his career.