Richard Nadler

Richard Nadler was born in 1987 in Penzberg, Germany. Both his grandfather and his mother were painters. His father collected art and wines. 

Nadler’s father worked and lived in Japan. Nadler often traveled from Germany to Japan to visit. His father took him on excursions to explore the mountains and shrines, and the young Nadler became fascinated with the culture and landscapes of Japan.

“My dad passed away when I was 18,” he said in an interview with Verse, “and one of our last trips to Japan was during the Sakura - the cherry blossom. That's also a reason why I am emotionally related to that lovely country. So to sum up I was always fascinated by Japan and my memories with my father so I decided to express my love and passion through my Japanese dedicated art.”

Nadler inherited his father’s extensive wine collection. When he was 25, he decided to learn more about the wines. He became a Worldwide Sommelier, earning a Level 4 International Wine Certificate from the Wine and Spirit Trust. Collecting wine has remained a hobby, although the certification would allow him to work as a Sommelier in a hotel or restaurant if he chose to do so.

Until a few short years ago Nadler worked in finance, collecting both wine and art. His focus as a collector has been on generative art. 

Nadler’s talent and desire to create his own art inspired him to ask a friend to build a customized AI model for his work. His program includes traditional landscape descriptions and pictures of Japanese landscapes from old books. He begins each of his works with one of his own sketches. 

He often works in series, inspired by Japanese culture and stories. The story Nadler tells about his series Burnout, is about Japanese man named Kenji, who devoted most of his life to his work and had little time for family, friends or fun. He struggled at his job and became exhausted by the work. After making a mistake at work that cost his company to lose money and himself to lose the respect of his colleagues, Kenji quit his job, began traveling, meeting people and rediscovering his passion for life. “In the end,” Nadler wrote, “Kenji learned that true success was not just about achieving great things in his career, but also about finding balance and fulfillment in all areas of his life.”

Nadler himself quit his high-stress job in finance a few years ago and began to devote his life to his art. His wife was pregnant at the time and many friends told him that it was a crazy thing to do. 

Richard Nadler said that it was the best decision of his life. He has had great success with his art and is now able to spend time, working from his home and studio in Munich, creating art and enjoying time with his wife and son.

 References:

Mimi Nguyen. Once upon a time in Japan: in conversation with Richard Nadler. Verse Journal/Interview. December 14, 2022.