This monumental publication maps the ideas, processes, life and times of one of the most important painters of our time. Conceived and closely edited by Gerhard Richter himself, Atlas cuts straight to the heart of the artists thinking, collecting more than 5,000 photographs, drawings and sketches that he has compiled or created since the moment of his creative breakthrough in 1962. Year by year, the images closely parallel the subjects of Richters paintings, revealing the orderly but open-ended analysis that has been so central to his art. From pictures of family and friends to images from the mass media, Richters photographs sometimes found, sometimes original have provided the basis for many of his paintings, often re-emerging in a luminous, monochromatic palette, and falling ambiguously between documentary and historical painting. Offering invaluable insight into Richters working process, this magnificent new edition has been newly conceptualized by the artist. An accompanying commentary volume by Helmut Friedel will be published in 2016.