Cage (P19-1) is one of six limited-edition prints published by Heni Editions, reproducing Gerhard Richter's famous Cage series, six large, square, abstract paintings made by the artist in 2006, for the 2007 Venice Biennale. The paintings are on long-term loan at Tate Modern, London, but have been included in major Richter's exhibitions (Metropolitan Museum, New York; Gagosian Gallery, New York, Beverly Hills, etc.).

The energetic, vibrant and mesmerizing abstract compositions were created by Richter with a large handmade squeegee by progressively, vertically and horizontally, smudging several thick layers of oil paint. The art historian and curator Robert Storr referred to these smears as the artist’s single most innovative contribution to the history of painting.

Cage (P19-1) is predominantly lime green in hue with a wide bottle green bar running horizontally across the upper quarter of the composition. At the right edge of the work is a wide vertical band composed mostly of white with traces of yellow and green.

The title of series refers to the American minimalist composer John Cage (1912-1992). Greatly admired by Richter, who had encountered the musician for the first time at a performance at the Düsseldorf Academy in the 1960s, Cage's music accompanied the making of the paintings in Richter’s studio.


Executed in 2020, this facsimile object is number one hundred and sixty-one from an edition of two hundred.