RITCHER IS NOW 80 AND UP TO DATE
Pierrette and I went to see the Gerhard Ritcher at the Modern Tate in London at the end of 2011. It was a discovery for her and a renewal with his work for me. The retrospective in Paris which opened at the beginning of June in the Beaubourg is to celebrate his 80th birthday. I didn’t imagine that it would be a stick and glue job of th British exhibition, or I hoped not. I like his abstracts but have never been overly keen on his photographic work, the famous Emma, his dedicated work to Marcel Duchamp - «Nude on the Staircase» and his family portraits don’t get my attention. Admittedly his clouds can be very effective. Also the HUGE John Cage series reconfirmed my dislike of the John Cage music today because of its repetitive qualities. Looking at the paintings again this time, my feelings are much the same although I admit that the 6 works are an accumulation of spontaneous, reactive gestures and a little less repetitive than Cage’s music for me but his abstraction in thes