Richard Haas

(American, born 1936)

Richard Haas is an American painter known for his use of trompe l’oeil techniques to create illusionistic murals of architectural features. Born on August 29, 1936 in Spring Green, WI, his early experience assisting his uncle (a stonemason), on one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings, made a profound impact on Haas. He went on to receive a BS from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and an MFA from the University of Minnesota. Moving to New York in 1968, he spent several years painting abstractions on canvas before altering his practice and producing accurate drawings of architectural details. In 1975, the artist painted his first outdoor mural or a cast-iron facade at the corner of Prince Street and Greene Street in Manhattan. Over the years, he has painted hundreds of murals across the country, including the Oregon Historical Society in Portland and the main branch of the New York Public Library. He continues to live in New York, NY, but often travels to produce his murals. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Milwaukee Art Museum, among others.