# Richard John Haas artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/richard-john-haas/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T10:28:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1936-08-29
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Trompe-l'œil, Architectural illusionism
- Common media: Mural painting, Oil painting, Serigraphy, Lithography, Etching, Woodcut

## About Richard John Haas

Richard John Haas (born August 29, 1936, Spring Green, Wisconsin) is an American muralist and painter celebrated for his large-scale architectural trompe-l'œil works on building facades and interiors. After earning a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1959 and an M.F.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1964, Haas moved to New York City in 1968, where he initially painted abstractions before turning to the illusionistic architectural imagery that would define his career. His murals transform flat walls into convincing depictions of classical columns, arches, windows, and ornamental facades, blurring the boundary between painted surface and built environment. Haas is also an accomplished printmaker, working in serigraphy, lithography, etching, and woodcut. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and his public commissions can be found on buildings across the United States. Collectitors encounter his work most frequently through prints and works on paper at auction.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Richard Haas's work in the form of limited-edition serigraphs, lithographs, and etchings depicting architectural facades, classical ornamentation, and urban streetscapes rendered in his signature trompe-l'œil style. Oil and acrylic paintings on canvas — typically architectural subjects at a smaller scale than his public murals — also appear at auction. Woodcut prints and mixed-media works on paper are less common but documented. The majority of his publicly visible output consists of large-scale, site-specific mural commissions on building exteriors and interiors; these are not typically traded at auction but are important for understanding the artist's oeuvre and establishing attribution context for portable works.

## Market and appraisal context

Richard Haas's auction presence is anchored in his prints and smaller-scale paintings rather than his signature architectural murals, which are site-specific and generally remain with the buildings they adorn. Serigraphs, lithographs, and etchings of his characteristic architectural subjects appear regularly at auction and represent the most accessible segment of his market. Factors affecting appraisal include the specific print medium, edition size, condition, and whether a work depicts one of his well-known trompe-l'œil architectural compositions. Institutional recognition — including MoMA collection holdings — supports long-term market credibility. Collectors should verify edition information, signature, and provenance, and compare against documented public commissions and published catalogues when assessing attribution.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from authority files and museum records — including the Library of Congress, Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, and the Museum of Modern Art — with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots from the Appraisily database. Artist biographical data is cross-referenced across multiple independent sources. When available, auction-house context and provenance information further support valuation guidance.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82035482
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/2433
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2149687
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/94848217/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500018500
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/34996
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Haas