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 ''

''.

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 Maira Kalman is an American artist, illustrator, writer, and designer known for her painting and writing about the human condition. She is the author and illustrator of over 30 books for adults and children and her work is exhibited in museums a ...

produced

New Yorkistan "New Yorkistan" is the title of the cover art for the December 10, 2001 edition of ''The New Yorker'' magazine. Inspired by a conversation while driving through the Bronx, it was created by Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz who did the actual paint ...

, 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 ...

''. 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 Abrams may refer to: * Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname * '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war * M1 Abrams, main battle tank * Abrams, W ...

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 Douglas Tirola, also known as Doug Tirola, is an American filmmaker and writer who has worked as a director, executive producer and a producer. He is the owner and president of 4th Row Films, a movie and television production company. Tirola's ...

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