Richard McLean

Banana Beau, Photorealist Screenprint by Richard McLean

1981

Richard Thorpe McLean (1934–2014) was an American painter recognized as one of the key figures of Photorealism. Born in Hoquiam, Washington, he studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, where he received his B.F.A. in 1958, and later earned his M.F.A. at Mills College in 1962. McLean gained acclaim in the late 1960s and 1970s for his meticulously detailed depictions of horses, often drawn from images in equestrian magazines or his own photography. His works captured the glossy precision of show horses and the tension of competition arenas, balancing photographic accuracy with painterly sensitivity. He became associated with a group of realist painters whose work blurred the line between painting and photography, and his pieces were included in important exhibitions such as Twenty-Two Realists at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1970. McLean’s paintings and prints are represented in major public collections, including the Whitney, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Though best known for equestrian subjects, his later work expanded into broader landscapes where horses appeared incidentally, reflecting a shift in focus. Throughout his career, McLean maintained a reputation for technical mastery and a distinct vision within the Photorealist movement, leaving behind a body of work that remains valued both for its precision and its cultural resonance.