
And here I thought that Gerhard Richter’s critique of the art market by making an offset print in an open edition was surpassed only by his using the prints as note paper. Claudio Santambrogio is much better than I at deciphering Richter’s handwriting, and he figured out the entire note Richter wrote to his dealer August Haseke in November 1969 when he finally delivered the first half of his 1967 open edition, Blattecke. And it is a whole new art direction casting its shadow:
Lieber August,
Hier sind heute endlich 101 Stück (Nr 286-386).
Jetzt liegen noch ca. 350 Stück hier; zu Deiner Information.
Ich bin so erkältet, dass ich die 101 Stück gut signieren konnte. Ich
habe mich bemüht, die Viren gleichmäßig über die Blätter zu verteilen.
(Die nächsten 50 hoffe ich mit etwas schickeren Viren infiltrieren zu
können, vielleicht Tollwut oder so was).
Eine ganz neue Kunstrichtung wirft ihre Schatten.
Alle gute Euch
herzliche Grüße
Dein Gerhard
Dear August,
Here are finally 101 pieces today (nos. 286-386).
Now there are still about 350 pieces here; for your information.
I have such a cold, I could sign 101 pieces. I have tried to
distribute the viruses evenly over the sheets.
(I hope to infiltrate the next 50 with some fancier viruses, maybe rabies
or something).
A whole new art direction is casting its shadow.
All the best to you
best regards
Your Gerhard

This is not what I envisioned when I mentioned a Felix-like stack, and yet the shadow is cast.
[week later update: these notes and additional related material are now in the Richter Archive in Dresden. Apparently it took Richter three years to work his way through signing the first 739 Blattecke.]
Previously, related: There Are At Least 906 Blattecke
Stack(Ed.)
When Form Becomes Content, or Luanda: Encyclopedic City, On The Stack as Medium