ONE of Europe's greatest living artists is to be the subject of a major exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS).

This winter the NGS will exhibit a selection of the works of the German painter Gerhard Richter, known for his almost photo-realistic paintings and eclectic style, as part NGS's partnership with Bank of Scotland, which has put £400,000 into this year's show and last year's Andy Warhol exhibition.

The Warhol attracted 95,000 people to the National Gallery complex in Edinburgh.

Richter, 76, originally from Dresden, is not as well known as Warhol, but the galleries hope that the retrospective show will draw a sizeable audience.

Gerhard Richter: Paintings from Private Collections, will run from November 8 to January 4, and comprise more than 60 large works dated between 1963 and 2007 from three collections in Germany: the Bockmann in Berlin, the Stroher in Darmstadt and Frieder Burda Museum in Baden Baden.

They will be complemented by works from the artist's home in Cologne.

An exhibition of new work by Richter is being held at the Serpentine Gallery in London's Kensington Gardens, from September.

The Edinburgh exhibition will present the whole range of Richter's expansive portfolio, from photorealistic paintings to large abstract compositions known for their colour and technical expertise.

John Leighton, the director-general of the NGS, said: "Gerhard Richter is arguably the most important and influential contemporary artist alive so I am delighted that this major show will be the second exhibition in the Bank of Scotland totalART series."

Sarah Cran, the head of sponsorship at HBOS said: "We are extremely excited about the forthcoming Gerhard Richter exhibition.

"The Warhol exhibition was a huge success, in part due to the fantastic education programme.

"We are looking forward to creating even more innovative and unique education opportunities with the Richter exhibition, engaging the widest possible audience with his work."