About Daniel Richter

Daniel Richter (born 1962 in Lütjenburg, Germany) is one of the most important contemporary painters of his generation, celebrated for his monumental canvases and limited edition prints that blur the boundaries between abstraction and figuration.

Emerging in the 1990s, Richter quickly established himself as a central figure in the German art scene. Initially recognized for his bold abstract compositions, he shifted around the year 2000 toward a more narrative-driven style, incorporating vivid figurative elements and addressing pressing political and social themes. This evolution marked him as a restless innovator, unafraid to challenge both himself and the conventions of painting.

Working primarily in classical oil on canvas, Richter fuses traditional techniques with imagery sourced from mass media, popular culture, and art history. His artworks often depict glowing artificial light—flashlights, infrared scans, or X-rays—serving as metaphors for surveillance and control in contemporary society. Through this visual language, Richter creates paintings and prints that carry an atmosphere of unease, paranoia, and critique, rooted in his affiliation with anarchic movements and his ongoing examination of power structures.

Richter’s prints and paintings combine a rigorous painterly craft with politically charged narratives, exploring themes such as total surveillance, conflict, and the tension between freedom and control. His works resonate with a strong sense of urgency, positioning him as a voice of resistance within contemporary art.

Educated at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK), Daniel Richter has also contributed significantly to academia, teaching and mentoring the next generation of artists. His dual role as both painter and educator underscores his influence not only on the art world but also on the evolving discourse of contemporary painting.

Auction record: £1.2m, Christie’s, 2020

Notable exhibitions

Daniel Richter rose to international prominence with major solo exhibitions such as Pink Flag – White Horse at The Power Plant in Toronto and the National Gallery of Canada (2004). Large-scale retrospectives soon followed, including at the Kunsthalle Hamburg (2007), the Denver Art Museum (2008), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and Camden Arts Centre (2016–17), and the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt (2022).

His work has also been presented at prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Essl Museum in Vienna, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, and the Saatchi Gallery in London. Group exhibitions such as Radical Figures at the Whitechapel Gallery (2020), documenta X (1997), and multiple participations in the Venice Biennale (1999, 2011, collateral in 2022) have further solidified his position on the global stage.

Through these exhibitions, Richter’s paintings and prints have been celebrated for their fusion of figuration, abstraction, and political commentary, affirming his legacy as one of the most influential German artists of his generation.