Born in New York in 1939, Brigid Berlin changed her name to Brigid Polk not long after she met Andy Warhol in 1964 and became one of his legendary muses. In 1970, she met Gerhard Richter in Munich, giving rise to the German artist’s important Brigid Polk series. Based on Polaroid self-portraits by Polk, the series of photo paintings did more than capture this eccentric artist—it created a fascinating dialogue between America and Europe, photography and painting, and artist and muse.
           
In Gerhard Richter—Brigid Polk, Corinna Thierolf brings together a distinguished group of contributors to tell the story of the two artists’ encounter and describes the important record of Richter’s photo paintings it produced. Written by Sabine Knust, Bernhard Maaz, Tilman Spengler, and Thierolf, these essays trace the history of the series’ creation, exploring how it is exemplary of Richter’s struggle for a new self-concept of painting in relation to photography. In addition, the book uses personal reminiscences of those who were present in Munich to travel back in time to the avant-garde art scene of the 1970s, bringing to life a spectacular range of characters, including Munich gallery owner Heiner Friedrich—instrumental in the creation of the series—and Polk herself.
           
Including color images and accompanying an exhibition of the series at Schloss Herrenchiemsee, Gerhard Richter—Brigid Polk is the first book to pay extensive tribute to this multifaceted series and its importance in Richter’s oeuvre.

Corinna Thierolf is head curator at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.