GERHARD RICHTER, Line Color Rainbow Mini Skirt, 2023
size M
fabric, 88% polyester, 12% elastane
Order-on-demand production through RedBubble, Melbourne, Australia
‘Designed and sold by Tabatha Anderson’, Manchester, USA
inv.GRich 000

Here the publisher is both dress designer and seller with the help of RedBubble Inc., a company that specializes in Order-on-demand. The print on the fabric is taken from the couver of a catalogue.
One may wonder whether this production – with the artist’s name ostentatious reproduced on the fabric – is made with the consent of Gerhard Richter. Yet, The Archive is Limited brings also unsigned works together, that have been produced during the artist’s lifetime. As such this skirt edition is archived as an authentic work. We consider it as being indirectly approved by or made with the consent of the artist, since apparently no legal forces prevented to have the offered item for sale. One may also look at it as an abuse of Gerhard Richter’s work and name or as a piracy’s action to reproduce the couver of a catalogue showing the name of its publisher Hatje Cantz.
In any case, this is clearly a matter of Product art, no doubt about that. KvG

Note.
On 19th of December 2023 this item was not for sale anymore. Between the 11th and 19th of December suddenly this skirt disappeared from the website of RedBubble, for unknown reasons.