Daniel Richter

Daniel Richter (b. 1962) is a leading German painter renowned for his dynamic fusion of abstraction and figuration, which channels the visual energy of punk, political unrest and art historical reference. Born in Eutin, he emerged from Hamburg’s anarchic 1980s subcultures before studying under Werner Büttner at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg and working as an assistant to Albert Oehlen. His early works were dense, psychedelic abstractions, layered with graffiti-like marks and vibrant colours.

In the early 2000s, Richter shifted toward figuration, producing large-scale, often unsettling tableaux that draw from mass media, war photography and historical painting. His canvases — such as Tarifa (2001) — depict dreamlike scenes populated by spectral figures, rendered in lurid palettes and compressed spaces. These works reflect a deep engagement with themes of violence, migration and collective memory, while maintaining a painterly exuberance that resists didacticism.

Richter’s exhibitions include Stupor at Thaddaeus Ropac, London (2023), and a major solo show at Kunsthalle Tübingen (2023), which surveyed his evolving practice. He continues to live and work in Berlin and Vienna, where he has taught at the Akademie der bildenden Künste since 2006.