Rick Meyerowitz (born November 29, 1943) is an American artist, and author. He is best known for his work for ''
National Lampoon'' magazine and its spin-offs, including his poster for the comedy film ''
Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulc ...
''.
Early life
Meyerowitz was born in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
, New York. He is the younger brother of photographer
Joel Meyerowitz. He started drawing during his childhood and attended art school at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
.
''National Lampoon'' magazine
Meyerowitz was a frequent contributor to ''
National Lampoon'' magazine; memorable artwork of his included the "Mona Gorilla" (the Mona Lisa as a gorilla).
The film ''Animal House''
Meyerowitz created the widely recognized theatrical release poster for the 1978 comedy movie ''
Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulc ...
''.
Other work
Meyerowitz has worked as a commercial artist and as the author and artist of humorous books such as ''Return of the Nose Masks'' (1998; a book of punch-out masks to be worn on the nose) and ''Dodosaurs: The Dinosaurs That Didn't Make It'' (1983); he has also illustrated children's books (''Rip Van Winkle'', 2004, for example). Also created the cover illustration depicting the cast of M*A*S*H for the Nov. 2, 1974 issue of TV Guide.
Meyerowitz's collaborations with the artist
Maira Kalman produced
New Yorkistan, a popular cover for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine, as well as editorial and humor pieces for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''. Coasters which the two artists designed were for sale at the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
.
Book
Meyerowitz put together a book about ''National Lampoon'' magazine's artists and writers, called ''
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Writers and Artists Who Made the National Lampoon Insanely Great''. The book was published by
Abrams in the fall of 2010.
Documentary film
Meyerowitz was interviewed and drew the theatrical release poster for the 2015 film ''
National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead''. The director
Doug Tirola commented, "Before we shot the first frame of the movie, I had the idea and hope that Rick would do our poster. The ''Animal House'' poster, in my mind, is one of the best in the history of film."
References
External links
Meyerowitz's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyerowitz, Rick
American illustrators
Living people
Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
1943 births
National Lampoon people
Artists from the Bronx