Cage (1-6)

Gerhard Richter created this Cage (1-6) in 2006, six large canvases named after composer John Cage. Layers of paint are applied and scraped away with a squeegee, creating complex surfaces where colors appear and disappear beneath veils of gray.

Richter's "abstract paintings" emerge from a controlled process that produces unpredictable results. Each scraping reveals or conceals what lies beneath. The title honors Cage's use of chance operations in music. The six paintings sold at auction in 2020 for $30 million combined. They hang together at Tate Modern.