Biography

Richard Haas (b. 1936, Spring Green, Wisconsin) is one of the world's leading architectural muralists, and is best known for his trompe l'oeil paintings. He has created numerous "make-believe" buildings, including an entire streetscape at Manhattan's South Street Seaport, 13 murals of New York publishing houses for the New York Public Library, Smithsonian Institution exteriors on an interior wall, and an entire exterior fa�ade of the Boston Architectural Center.

Although Richard Haas began his career as a painter and printmaker. He received a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 1959, and an M.F.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1964. Although he was never formally trained as an architect, his reputation has largely been made in the arena of 20th century architecture. Combining his skill as a painter with a deep commitment to architectural history and preservation, he has carved out a unique place for himself in the field of American Realism through the production of monumental trompe lÕoeil painted schemes.

His paintings are in the permanent collections of many prominent museums including:

American Academy of Art, New York, NY
Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Center of Contemporary Arts, Miami, FL
Elvehjem Art Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, New York
Iowa State University, Brunnier Gallery, Ames, Iowa
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Michigan State University
Milwaukee Art Museum
Minneapolis Art Institute
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
National Academy of Design, New York, NY
National Academy of Design, Washington, D.C.
The New York Historical Society, New York, NY
New York Public Library
Smith College Art Museum
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
St. Louis Art Museum University of North Carolina, Weatherspoon Art Gallery
University of Wisconsin Art Museum
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Yale University Art Gallery