Born on December 4, 1947, Richard Amsel was an award winning graphic designer/ illustrator who would rise to meteoric fame with his work on ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ ‘The Dark Crystal,’ ‘Flash Gordon‘ all the way to his final film poster, ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.‘ (Aside from his iconic movie posters, we are in LOVE with his 40+ TV Guide covers.)
Richard sadly passed away in 1985 but he left a lasting legacy for fans and collectors everywhere. His work in magazines, album covers and movie posters, is sensational and puts him directly in the same conversation when it comes to artistic brilliance as Drew Struzan, Bob Peak, Saul Bass and John Alvin just to name a few.
There is a documentary in the works that highlights the life and talent of this gifted artist. A lot has already been done but, they could use your help. If you appreciate classic movie posters, if you are a collector, or just someone that would like to help bring Richard’s story to the masses, CLICK HERE to donate. Here is more info about the documentary: “Amsel: Illustrator of the Lost Art” a film by Adam McDaniel.
AMSEL: ILLUSTRATOR OF THE LOST ART presents the first in-depth profile of legendary illustrator Richard Amsel (1947-1985), detailing the artist’s remarkable body of work while chronicling an enigmatic life marked with family heartbreak, celebrity friendships, financial hardships, creative genius, and a tragic end at the age of thirty-seven from AIDS.
Amsel remains a titanic figure within the realm of entertainment art, with work ranging from celebrated movie posters (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Sting, The Dark Crystal, and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome), to iconic album and concert posters (including famous portraits of Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand), to magazine covers – including 37 covers for TV Guide. Yet while the Amsel’s illustrations remain extremely popular, little has ever been revealed about the man himself.
Now in final production, the film will include extensive interviews with Amsel’s friends and family, classmates and teachers, colleagues and artists, and will offer a new appreciation of the artist’s work. The documentary will also examine Amsel’s time within New York’s gay culture in the ‘70s, the onslaught of AIDS in the ‘80s, the aftermath of Amsel’s death, and his enduring creative legacy to generations of artists and moviegoers.
As an added bonus, filmmaker Adam McDaniel is also developing an extensive retrospective book on Richard Amsel’s work and career.
Tentatively titled RICHARD AMSEL, the book will feature selections from the hundreds of images McDaniel has collected of Amsel’s artwork over the years, including some that have never before been published. It will also include high-quality digital images made from a selection of Amsel’s iconic original artwork, new photographs, and transparencies – each one professionally digitized, color-corrected, and restored. This will allow for some of the artist’s most prominent works to be seen in a new and improved light.
The book is projected for release upon completion of the documentary, which is in the early editing stages. To learn more about Richard Amsel, or the progress of the film and book, go to www.RichardAmselMovie.com.
AMSEL: ILLUSTRATOR OF THE LOST ART is a sponsored project of FRACTURED ATLAS, a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts service organization legally registered as a charity to fundraise in all 50 states. Donations to the documentary are fully tax-deductible where applicable by law.
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