Richard Estes American, b. 1932

Biography

Richard Estes is the standard-bearer of photorealist painting and its most devoted and accomplished practitioner. He commands distinction not by his spectacular commitment to fidelity nor the quotidian truths in his depictions but through a unique creative process in which he develops an image in his mind and paints a vision of his reality. Estes encapsulates timeless, pristine images of the city and his many adventures in travel and is one of the world's most avid interpreters. Over the last half-century, this process has captured the world with a rare kind of integrity as it changes—our cities, our landscapes, our rituals—slow and steady, then all at once. Estes helps us to unveil a true understanding of the world around us. As realism nudges to the fore along the pendulum swing between abstraction and realism, he has stepped forward as one of the leading realist painters of the 20th century. Estes currently lives and works in Maine and New York.

Works
  • Richard Estes, Holland Hotel, 1980
    Richard Estes
    Holland Hotel, 1980
  • Richard Estes, Study X - Breads, 1996
    Richard Estes
    Study X - Breads, 1996
  • Richard Estes, Study XV - Breads, 1996
    Richard Estes
    Study XV - Breads, 1996
  • Richard Estes, Study XIII, Theater, 1997
    Richard Estes
    Study XIII, Theater, 1997
  • Richard Estes, Study VI, New York Harbor, 1997
    Richard Estes
    Study VI, New York Harbor, 1997
  • Richard Estes, Detail, Times Square, 2000
    Richard Estes
    Detail, Times Square, 2000
  • Richard Estes, Downtown Reflections, 2001
    Richard Estes
    Downtown Reflections, 2001
  • Richard Estes, Staten Island Ferry, 2004
    Richard Estes
    Staten Island Ferry, 2004
  • Richard Estes, Post Office, 33rd and 8th, 2004
    Richard Estes
    Post Office, 33rd and 8th, 2004
  • Richard Estes, Late Afternoon Tide, Provincetown II, 2006
    Richard Estes
    Late Afternoon Tide, Provincetown II, 2006
  • Richard Estes, Antarctica II, 2007
    Richard Estes
    Antarctica II, 2007
  • Richard Estes, Staten Island Ferry Docking Manhattan, 2008
    Richard Estes
    Staten Island Ferry Docking Manhattan, 2008
  • Richard Estes, Tahiti, 2010
    Richard Estes
    Tahiti, 2010
  • Richard Estes, View in Nepal, 2010
    Richard Estes
    View in Nepal, 2010
  • Richard Estes, Tour Bus, 2012
    Richard Estes
    Tour Bus, 2012
  • Richard Estes, Antarctica II, 2013
    Richard Estes
    Antarctica II, 2013
  • Richard Estes, The L Train at 14th Street, 2015
    Richard Estes
    The L Train at 14th Street, 2015
  • Richard Estes, Starbucks Self Portrait, 2017
    Richard Estes
    Starbucks Self Portrait, 2017
  • Richard Estes, Wholesome Foods #2, 2018
    Richard Estes
    Wholesome Foods #2, 2018
  • Richard Estes, Crosstown Bus, 2018
    Richard Estes
    Crosstown Bus, 2018
  • Richard Estes, Hotel Entrance, 2019
    Richard Estes
    Hotel Entrance, 2019
  • Richard Estes, View from Cadillac Mountain, 2020
    Richard Estes
    View from Cadillac Mountain, 2020
  • Richard Estes, Alice Tully Hall, 2020
    Richard Estes
    Alice Tully Hall, 2020
  • Richard Estes, Century, 2020
    Richard Estes
    Century, 2020
  • Richard Estes, EAT, 2022
    Richard Estes
    EAT, 2022
  • Richard Estes, Self Portrait in VW Bug, 2022
    Richard Estes
    Self Portrait in VW Bug, 2022
  • Richard Estes, Escalator at Penn Station, 2023
    Richard Estes
    Escalator at Penn Station, 2023
  • Richard Estes, 888, 2023
    Richard Estes
    888, 2023
  • Richard Estes, Walgreens, c. 1980-82
    Richard Estes
    Walgreens, c. 1980-82
  • Richard Estes, Ellis Island View, c. 1987-92
    Richard Estes
    Ellis Island View, c. 1987-92
Exhibitions
Art Fairs
News