Born in 1932 in Illinois, Richard Estes is regarded as one of the founders of the Photo-Realist movement which emerged in America in the late 1960s. He belongs to a rich history of artists who have depicted New York City, and has a detailed knowledge of the city’s diverse architecture, infrastructure and habitants. Although not a native New Yorker, New York has been his home and a recurring motif in his work for over 30 years.
Habitually depicting urban landscapes, Estes begins with photography to collect and record information. He then works free-hand to paint in a fluid and open-ended process his remarkably intricate and realistic scenes. While unquestionably reconstructing reality, Estes’ paintings and prints expand the sensory range of the viewer allowing a greater focus and providing more information than the naked eye. His prints are no exception in creating this extrasensory experience. They are built up in layers of color and capture a palette and vitality similar to the detailed clarity of his paintings. Estes remains a prominent figure in the contemporary art world, and has secured a place in art history as one of the most captivating American realists to date.
Estes has exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide. His work can be found in public and private collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York; Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Neue Galerie der Stadt Aachen, Ludwig Collection, Aachen, Germany; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York.
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