James Rizzi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Rizzi
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Rizzi in 2008
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| Born | October 5, 1950 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Died | December 25, 2011 (aged 61) New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Florida |
| Known for | Pop art |
James Rizzi (October 5, 1950 – December 25, 2011) was a super creative American pop artist. He was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He became famous for his fun, colorful 3D artworks that often showed busy city scenes.
Contents
The Story of James Rizzi
James Rizzi studied at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He came up with his amazing 3D art idea when he was in college. He had to turn in projects for painting, printmaking, and sculpting classes, but he was short on time.
So, he got a clever idea! He made an etching (a type of print), printed it twice, and colored it by hand. Then, he cut out parts of one print and glued them on top of the other. He even used wire to make it look like parts were popping out! This made his art look like it had real depth.
His teachers loved it, and he got good grades from all three! From then on, he kept working on this 3D style and made it his special trademark.
Rizzi was best known for his unique 3D artwork. His art often showed busy, lively cityscapes filled with cartoon-like people and buildings. His style was full of bright colors and tiny, fun details. It was so unique that you could recognize a "Rizzi" artwork anywhere in the world!
Later in his life, James Rizzi also returned to painting. His newer paintings mixed his fun, cartoon-like drawing style with even more colors. They had a complex design that reminded some people of both Cubism (a style of art where objects are broken up and reassembled) and ancient Native American art.
Rizzi's Cool Projects and Milestones
Here are some of the exciting things James Rizzi did throughout his career:
| Year | What James Rizzi Did |
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| 1974 | James Rizzi finished college at the University of Florida. He started showing his art at outdoor art shows in places like Washington Square Park in New York. |
| 1976 | His art was shown in a big exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum called "Thirty Years of American Printmaking." |
| 1980 - 1983 | Rizzi designed cool album covers and even created animation for music videos for a band called Tom Tom Club. |
| 1987 | A Japanese TV channel made a special film all about James Rizzi and his art. |
| 1988 | The very first book about Rizzi's art, called James Rizzi - 3D Constructions, was published. |
| 1988-90 | He worked on many design projects in Japan. |
| 1992 | A second book about his art, titled Rizzi, was released. |
| 1993 | Rizzi designed the special robe for German boxer Henry Maske. |
| 1994 | He designed china for a company called Rosenthal. He also designed a special, limited edition MetroCard for New York City's subway system. |
| 1996 | A book called The New York Paintings was published. Rizzi became the official artist for the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He also designed the outside of a Boeing 757 airplane for Condor Airlines! This plane became famous as the "Rizzi Bird." |
| 1997 | He was the official artist for the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He had a big art show in Brooklyn, New York, and the opening day was even declared "James Rizzi Day" by the Brooklyn Borough President! |
| 1998 | He was named Artist of the Year by the United States Sports Academy. He was also the official artist for the FIFA World Cup in France. He took part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. |
| 1999 | Rizzi designed three special New Beetle cars for Volkswagen. He also designed the covers for a 15-volume encyclopedia called Brockhaus. |
| 2000 | He participated in CowParade in New York City, where artists decorate cow sculptures. He also did work for UNICEF and the Japanese Railway. |
| 2001 | The "Happy Rizzi House" opened in Braunschweig, Germany. This was an office building that Rizzi himself designed! |
| 2002 | He designed the front page of a newspaper in Hamburg, Germany. He also designed a Teddy bear for the famous toy company Steiff. He designed three light railway cars for the city of Heilbronn. |
| 2004 | Rizzi designed a model New York fire engine. |
| 2006 | He received the Steiger Award in Germany, a special prize given to people who have achieved great things. A new book about his art, James Rizzi: Artwork 1993-2006, was published. |
| 2007 | He worked on a children's charity project with musician Peter Maffay. He also designed the album cover for Bob Sinclar's 2007 album Soundz of Freedom. |
| 2008 | James Rizzi became the first living artist ever asked by the German government to design official postage stamps for Germany! He was also added to the Artexpo Hall of Fame at Artexpo New York. He had his biggest art show ever in Mainz, Germany, with over 1,000 artworks and more than 50,000 visitors! |
Gallery
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James Rizzi with the Volkswagen New Beetle he designed.
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The "Happy Rizzi House" in Braunschweig, Germany.
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Another view of the "Happy Rizzi House" in Braunschweig, Germany.
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Rizzi's design on a Boeing 757, famously called the "Rizzi Bird."
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A dome designed by Rizzi in the CentrO shopping mall.
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Frank Appel, Peer Steinbrück and James Rizzi at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn.
Books About James Rizzi
- James Rizzi: New York. Prestel 1996, ISBN: 3-7913-1644-3
- James Rizzi, Peter Bührer: Mein New York Kochbuch. Hahn 1997, ISBN: 3-87287-432-2
- James Rizzi, Peter Bührer: American Cookies and more. Südwest 2000, ISBN: 3-517-06323-1
- James Rizzi, Glenn O`Brien: James Rizzi. Artwork 1993-2006, Art28 2006, ISBN: 3-9811238-0-8
