Artist Biography: Richard John Haas Richard John Haas (born 1936) is an acclaimed American painter, printmaker, and muralist best known for his masterful architectural prints and expansive trompe l’œil murals. Raised in Wisconsin, Haas developed an early fascination with the built environment and historic preservation, eventually earning his MFA from the University of Minnesota. Upon moving to New York City in 1968, he began thoroughly documenting the city’s historic cast-iron architecture through highly detailed prints, dioramas, and paintings.

Haas is celebrated globally for his ability to seamlessly blend art and architecture, transforming blank city walls across the United States into vivid, three-dimensional architectural illusions that pay homage to their surroundings. His printmaking practice is equally revered, demonstrating a profound understanding of perspective, structural detail, and the historical weight of American civic buildings. His lithographs and etchings serve as both fine art and historical preservation. Haas’s works are held in the permanent collections of major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.