Daniel Richter
German · b. 1962 · Neo-Expressionism
Daniel Richter is a German painter whose large-scale figurative works blend expressionist energy with political and cultural critique. Emerging from an abstract phase in the 1990s, he shifted toward densely populated, theatrically lit scenes evoking conflict, alienation, and historical trauma. His canvases draw on sources ranging from news imagery to psychedelia, creating a distinctive visual language that is both visceral and unsettling.
Things you might not know
- He worked as a roadie and political activist before seriously committing to painting as a career.
- His early abstract work was influenced by his time assisting painter Werner Büttner in Hamburg.
- His paintings often feature anonymous crowds or figures in darkness, evoking both protest and apocalypse.
