Curator: Daniel Richter
Exhibition management: Andreas Hoffer

"Hello, here is a picture, look at me!"
Daniel Richter in an interview, Vienna, June 2009, from the catalogue to the exhibition

This is the first time that the Essl Museum presents the large-format figural works by Richter, which roused great international attention for the artist. They are shown in connection with the abstract paintings created in the 1990s. Two very recent small-format series complete the show. They surprise by their strong presence, an aura that so far one has perceived only in Richter’s large museum paintings. In one series the artist reflects on the topical issue of borders, the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 – but far from being heroic, they present the terrible tristesse inherent in borders in a compact form.

DANIEL RICHTER Halli Galli Polly, 2004 Oil on canvas © VBK, Wien, 2009	DANIEL RICHTER Elektro/a, 2005 Oil on canvas © VBK, Wien, 2009

Daniel Richter has a furioso approach to the instruments of painting which he uses in a very contemporary manner. His large-format works of recent years reflect on social and political issues. Of great atmospheric density, his compositions graphically convey the attitude and concerns of the artist and his art will hardly leave anyone cold. In scenes teeming with figures, Richter weaves strands relating to art-history, the mass media and pop culture into idiosyncratic, narrative tapestries.

DANIEL RICHTER Winterreise 3, 2009 Oil on canvas © VBK, Wien, 2009	DANIEL RICHTER Süden, 2002 Oil on canvas © VBK, Wien, 2009

In the abstract paintings of the 1990s with their somewhat psychedelic flavour, Richter often developed individual painterly questions for each and every painting. They demonstrate a very experimental approach to painting, and in them the ground was laid for the virtuoso use of painterly means which makes Richter’s art so impressive today. The exhibition at the Essl Museum presents works from both phases in his career and provides ample room for comparative analysis.

Art education

The art education team offers guided tours and workshops on the exhibition. For the current calendar of events please access www.essl.museum/Art Education.

Catalogue

A 60-page catalogue with an interview with Daniel Richter and a preface by Prof. Karlheinz Essl will be published for the exhibition.

Free Bus shuttle

The Essl Museum can be easily reached with a free Bus shuttle, from Vienna City Center, Albertinaplatz 2 (Tues – Sun, 10 a.m., 12 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m.)

Press

Nina Auinger: +43 (0)2243 - 370 50 60, auinger@essl.museum
Regina Holler-Strobl: +43 (0) 2243/370 50 62, holler-strobl@essl.museum

Partners of the Essl Museum

bauMax AG / Café + Co International Holding / Donau Versicherungs-AG – Vienna Insurance Group / Siemens AG Österreich / Telekom Austria AG / ZuklinBus Wien-Umgebung

Media partners

Die Presse / Ö1