Robert Risko

Robert Risko
Born (1956-11-11) November 11, 1956
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
AreaCaricaturist
www.robertrisko.com

Robert Risko (born November 11, 1956, in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania) is an American caricature artist known for his retro airbrush style.[1] Risko's style embodies the spirit of the 1930s Vanity Fair caricaturists Miguel Covarrubias and Paolo Garretto.[2]: 27 [3] During his career he has created caricatures of a large number of celebrities which have appeared in a number of major american magazines.

Career

Risko started his art career mentored by Andy Warhol, moving from Pittsburg to New York City from Pittsburgh.[4] He started drawing celebrity portraits for Warhol's Interview magazine such as one of Dolly Parton.[5] Risko was influenced by the shiny aesthetic of the 1970s and the Art Deco revival taking place in New York City at the time.[2]: 130 

At 25, Risko was chosen by renowned art director Bea Feitler along with Rolling Stone photographer Annie Leibovitz and artist Keith Haring to define the look of the new Vanity Fair when the magazine was relaunched in 1983. He has been a contributor ever since and has been instrumental in not only shaping Vanity Fair's unique look by contemporizing the spirit of the Bauhaus with his style but revealing personality traits of his subjects by reducing them to their essence with a few stylized colored shapes.[6]

In addition to Vanity Fair, Risko's work is published regularly in many major magazines, including The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Playboy, Esquire, and Interview,[2][6] and was seen on VH1's Pop 200 Icons Countdown.[7] He illustrated the packaging for the Capitol Sings composer series,[8] and HBO's Comedy Club video series.[9] As part of his work he has created caricatures of many notable people.[10][11][12][13]

Risko has been published in books such as Fame (1979), Fame II (1981), and The Risko Book, published by the Monacelli Press ISBN 978-1580930727 in 2000, which collected 180 of his pieces. His latest book is Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life (Rodale, 2009).

In October 2017, the Kennedy Center held an exhibition of Risko's work that he had created for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an activity that he has done since 2002.[14]

Books (author or illustrator)

  • Risko, Robert; Sessums, Kevin (2000). The Risko book. New York: Monacelli Press. ISBN 978-1-58093-072-7.
  • Carter, Graydon (2017). Vanity Fair's" Proust Questionnaire: 100 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life. Ilustrados Ser. Virginia Collera, Robert Risko (1st ed.). Madrid: Nordica Libros. ISBN 9781605295954.

References

  1. ^ McDaniel, Adam (2026-03-09). "Robert Risko: A keen eye and keen perception". richardamselmovie. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  2. ^ a b c Staake, Bob (1996). "The complete book of humorous art". archive.org. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  3. ^ Carter, Graydon (2009-12-03). "Excerpt: 'Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire'". NPR. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
  4. ^ By. "RISKO | Topics | Vanity Fair Archive". Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  5. ^ "Interview Magazine, July 1984 – Dark Entries Records". www.darkentriesrecords.com. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  6. ^ a b "Exclusive | Long time Vanity Fair caricature artist Robert Risko out at mag". 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  7. ^ "www.classicwhitney.com - Newsfile Reports - Misc - PRNewswire - VH1 Top 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons". www.classicwhitney.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  8. ^ "Robert Risko". Discogs. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
  9. ^ "HBO Video: Comedy Club Robert Risko covers". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
  10. ^ Pérez-Feria, Richard (October 2014). "Robert Risko: The World's Greatest Celebrity Illustrator Opens Up As Never Before". Huffpost. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  11. ^ "See Robert Risko Print of 'Modern Family' Cast!". Extra. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  12. ^ Risko, Robert; Sessums, Kevin (2000). The Risko book. New York: Monacelli Press. ISBN 978-1-58093-072-7.
  13. ^ Stone, Rolling (2000-11-14). "License to Illustrate". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  14. ^ "Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Exhibit: The Art of Robert Risko". Prince George's Suite. 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
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