Amsel: Illustrator of the Lost Art

One of the most prolific and popular American illustrators of the 1970s and 1980s, RICHARD AMSEL remains a titanic figure in the world of entertainment art. From his celebrated covers for TV GUIDE, to portraits of such legendary personalities as Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand, to his remarkable posters for films such as THE STING, THE DARK CRYSTAL, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Amsel's work has inspired generations of illustrators, and continues to be enjoyed by millions of art and film lovers around the world. 

Yet little has ever been revealed about the man himself. 

Through an exclusive arrangement with the Richard Amsel estate, AMSEL: ILLUSTRATOR OF THE LOST ART presents the first in-depth profile of this legendary artist, detailing the his remarkable body of work, while chronicling an enigmatic life marked with personal heartbreak, celebrity friendships, creative genius, and a tragic end at the age of thirty-seven. 

 

This is not just a documentary about a movie poster artist. It is a human story of an artistic savant who achieved his first extraordinary success at the age of 21. It is a time capsule of New York’s gay culture in the seventies...and the onslaught of AIDS in the eighties. It is a reconstruction of a fractured life story told through friends, celebrities, and colleagues -- shining light on a life that was every bit as colorful and wondrous as the art he created. 

Filmmaker Adam McDaniel has traveled extensively throughout the United States, conducting interviews with Amsel's friends, family, colleagues, classmates, and art collectors, as well as new generations of artists whom Amsel inspired. The documentary is the culmination of over a decade's worth of research into Amsel's life and creative oeuvre.

Your support will help make this project a reality, and preserve the legacy of an artist we lost all too soon.