| James Rizzi (October 5, 1950 December 26, 2011) was an American pop artist who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Until his death he resided and worked in a studio/loft in the SoHo section of Manhattan. James Rizzi studied Fine Arts at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He came up with the idea of 3D multiples now mostly associated with his name when, having taken classes in painting, printmaking and sculpturing, he had to hand in grade work for all three subjects, but only had time for doing one. So he created an etching, printed it twice, hand-colored it, and mounted parts of the one print on top of the other, using wire as a means of adding depth. Having received good grades from all three teachers, he stuck with the idea and developed it further. Rizzi was most famous for his 3D artwork, especially the large, elaborate prints and teeming anthropomorphic cityscapes. His merry maximalism and delight in delirious detail and elaborate minutiae created a true art brand, a trademark style as recognizable as any in the world. |
