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Photorealist paintings of New York City over five decades by Richard Estes

American artist Richard Estes is best known for his photorealist paintings of New York City, crafted with oils over five decades. Picking out the reflective, clean and inanimate streetscapes, facades, public transport and buildings that grace one of the world's greatest metropolises – he is regarded as one of the founders of the photorealist movement of the late 1960s.

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People relaxing on large rocks in Central Park with Manhattan skyline and the lake in the background on a spring day

His process begins by taking a photograph of something that catches his eye – sometimes, he might also appear in the shot. He then reproduces these images with oils onto canvas, documenting the city around him with his art.

Estes moved to New York City in 1958 from Chicago, where he was born, brought up, and educated. For most of his first decade in the Big Apple, he supported himself as an illustrator and graphic designer for periodicals and advertising agencies.

In early 1968, his painting career was launched with his first solo exhibit at the Allan Stone Gallery on East 86th Street in Manhattan. It was the first New York City exhibit of a painter from the group of American artists soon to be identified as Photorealists. Since that time, Estes has exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide.

Via Museum of Art and Design, NYC

View from inside a New York City subway train showing passengers seated inside and crowds on a plaza with tall buildings including the Plaza Hotel in the background
Richard Estes' photorealist oil painting of vintage cars and a bus with reflective surfaces and detailed metallic finishes, viewed from above at an angle
A red subway train with passengers visible through windows travels past the East River with illuminated Manhattan skyscrapers at dusk
Black taxi cab windscreen reflecting New York City's towering brick buildings, shop signs and urban streetscape in Richard Estes' photorealist style
Interior of a public bus with green and blue seating, metal handrails and windows showing a city street outside, painted in photorealistic style by Richard Estes
Taxi cab bonnet in foreground reflecting a Manhattan street corner with Art Deco skyscraper and surrounding buildings
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