Richard Amsel

Richard Amsel (December 4, 1947 – November 13, 1985) was an American illustrator and graphic designer. His career was brief but prolific, including film posters, album covers, and magazine covers. His portrait of comedian Lily Tomlin for the cover of Time is now part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institution. He was associated with TV Guide for thirteen years.

Early life

Richard Amsel was born in Philadelphia. Shortly after graduating from Philadelphia College of Art, his proposed poster art for the Barbra Streisand musical Hello, Dolly! was selected by 20th Century Fox for the film's campaign after a nationwide artists’ talent search; the artist was 22 at the time.

Career As Amsel came to the attention of New York's art enthusiasts, his illustrations caught the attention of Barry Manilow, "then a young singer/songwriter named who was working with Bette Midler, a newly emerging entertainer in cabaret clubs and piano bars. Manilow introduced the two, and it was quickly decided that Amsel should do the cover of her first Atlantic Records album. The cover, for The Divine Miss M proved to be one of the most ubiquitous of the year." More album covers and posters soon followed, as did a series of magazine ads for designer Oleg Cassini.

Amsel's film posters commissions included some of the most important and popular films of the 1970s, including The Champ, Chinatown, Julia, The Last Picture Show, The Last Tycoon, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Muppet Movie, Murder on the Orient Express, Nashville, Papillon, The Shootist, The Sting, (The latter's poster design paid homage to the painting style of J. C. Leyendecker, evoking both his "Arrow Collar Man" and his covers for The Saturday Evening Post) and Woodstock.

Although Amsel's career was short-lived, his body of work was sizeable, outpacing much of what had been produced by others during his era. His portrait of comedian Lily Tomlin was featured on the cover of Time, and is now housed in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. In keeping with the magazine's stringent deadlines, Amsel's illustration was created in only two or three days.

TV Guide Commissioned by TV Guide in 1972 to design a cover featuring the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, in conjunction with a telefilm about their love affair, Amsel then went on to enjoy a 13-year association with the publication, during which time he produced more than 40 covers.

Amsel's magazine work included portraits of: Ingrid Bergman, Johnny Carson, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Elvis Presley, Nancy Reagan, Tom Selleck, Frank Sinatra, John Travolta, and Princess Grace, as well as of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, portraits which were created for the television debut of Gone with the Wind. He also created illustrations for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, and of Richard Chamberlain for the miniseries Shogun. Ball then featured Amsel's work in the opening credits of a two-hour television tribute, CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years.

Later career As film studios changed their marketing style in the 1980s, employing photographs in favor of illustrations, Amsel and other artists were frequently limited to creating work for science fiction, fantasy, and adventure films. In response, Amsel created the posters for Flash Gordon, The Dark Crystal, and Raiders of the Lost Ark

In July 2023, The Society of Illustrators in New York announced that Amsel would be inducted into their Hall of Fame, in a special ceremony to be held on Sept. 9, 2023.

A feature film documentary about Amsel's life, titled Amsel: Illustrator of the Lost Art, was announced in January 2016. Filmmaker Adam McDaniel traveled extensively throughout the United States, conducting interviews with over 50 of Amsel's friends, family members, colleagues, classmates, teachers, and art collectors, as well as new generations of artists whom Amsel inspired. The film is now in post production. The film's initial teaser trailer was released in October, 2022.

In tandem with the documentary, McDaniel is developing a retrospective art book, with both projects through an exclusive agreement with the Richard Amsel estate.

Death

Amsel's last film poster was for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'', the third of George Miller's apocalyptic action movies with Mel Gibson.

AIDS Memorial Quilt Adam McDaniel created a panel in Amsel's memory for inclusion within the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. It was unveiled for the first time on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2018, next to The Wall Las Memorias AIDS Monument within Los Angeles' Lincoln Park. Later that month, it was also displayed at an Amsel tribute art show McDaniel curated at Warner Bros. Studios, in Burbank, California. On December 2, 2019, McDaniel handed the panel over to the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. This coincided with World AIDS Day earlier on December 1, and what would have been Amsel's 72nd birthday on December 4.