Richard Kurtz is a textural painter and text-based self taught artist who expresses his own insights into culture through nonlinear narrative stories. He is known for his paintings, one of a kind painted artist books, miniature paintings on expired credit and gift cards and found object pieces made from selective detritus from our collective past. Since the 1980s, Kurtz has depicted figures such as boxers, superheroes, seductive women, aliens and other powerful beings to interact with his words. Storytelling mixed with characters in repetition become a form of meditative expression for the artist and viewer. By focusing on the words in his paintings he invites the viewer to have both a cerebral experience and an emotional reaction to the painted form. 

Richard Kurtz has lived and painted in New York City, New Mexico, Mexico, Miami, Spain, Southern California and Marfa, Texas. Each place he has lived and worked has informed his artistic practice. While living in Marfa, Kurtz shunned the   minimalism of Donald Judd. Instead he became enchanted with the dark skies of Far West Texas. Images of multi dimensional beings, ufos and psychedelic mushrooms are now depicted in his work.      

The books and paintings of Richard Kurtz are in many prominent collections including Sophie Calle, Lester Marks, Audrey Heckler, Monty Blanchard, The University of Miami Rare Book Collection, The Museum of Everything and the de Young Museum.