Daniel Richter

Daniel Richter’s vivid, figurative oil paintings draw from several seemingly disparate sources. Synthesizing the Romantic undertones of science fiction, Expressionism, and rock ‘n roll, Richter evokes a future filled with chaos, messianic transcendence, and socially rich communities. In his 2008 painting, Les Paul Dictatorship, an unnamed protagonist holding a guitar stands with one of his acolytes before a large, seemingly entranced crowd. The guitarist holds the instrument behind his back, leaning it on the ground, as he looks wistfully away from his audience. All of the scene’s figures glow as the scene melts and slides between Richter’s sometimes studious, sometimes liberal brush marks.

Richter’s work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the National Gallery of Canada, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Essl Museum in Vienna, Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, and the Saatchi Gallery.