Daniel Richter (b. 1962 in Eutin) is one of the most influential German painters working today. His work is marked by a striking change of style: dense, abstract beginnings gave way around the year 2000 to a turn towards figurative painting. Richter became known above all for his large, multi-figure scenes, in which he condenses motifs from news images, history books and pop culture into layered, often politically charged worlds. Characteristic are his luminous, almost supernaturally glowing colours. He studied at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg under Werner Büttner and worked as an assistant to Albert Oehlen; as a long-serving professor in Vienna and Berlin he also shaped a younger generation of artists.