Daniel Richter Angst, mein BROT, 2024

Daniel Richter’s most recent series of paintings shows anthropomorphic creatures against chromatic backgrounds. Rendered in a spectrum of bright, prismatic colours, the works oscillate between geometric rigidity and organic fluidity. The German artist first came to prominence in the 1990s when he transitioned into fine art from the world of music, where he began his career designing posters and record sleeves for punk bands. His early paintings were abstract, characterised by intensely colourful forms that lie somewhere between graffiti and intricate ornamentation. Figures began appearing in his works around 2002, often inspired by reproductions from newspapers or history books. Influenced by the legacy of Symbolists such as James Ensor and Edvard Munch, Richter combines motifs from art history, mass media and pop culture to create idiosyncratic, surreal worlds.