Artist Database

Richard Estes is best known for his photorealist paintings of cityscapes, rendering source photographs with precise, near-invisible brushwork. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1956, before relocating to New York, where he initially worked in advertising. His first solo exhibition, held at the Allan Stone Gallery in 1968, allowed him to transition to a full-time artistic career. More recently, he has used digital software to create collages of manipulated and altered imagery, which serve as the basis for his paintings. His works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, among others.