Dick (Richard Michael) Zimmerman
| Dick (Richard Michael) Zimmerman | |
|---|---|
| File:Dick Zimmerman.jpg | |
| Born | January 28, 1942 New York |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Paintings and Photographic Portraits |
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Dick (Richard Michael) Zimmerman[1] (born 28 January 1942, New York) is an American artist most known for his paintings and photographic portraits of iconic personalities, families, and historical images created in realistic and impressionistic styles.
Known[by whom?] as "The Image Maker", Zimmerman gained his notoriety from guiding and creating career directions for performers in all aspects of the performing arts and is considered[by whom?] to be the most accomplished portrait artist of the 20th century. Zimmerman is sought after by the world's most celebrated entertainers, dignitaries, politicians and influential personalities.[2]
Education[edit]
Inspired to be an artist, painted his first Oil portrait of his father at the age of 7, and developing his craft throughout his teenage years creating portrait painting commissions which personally financed his own way through his college and artistic and post education with a unique idea of using wedding announcements from the NY Times as reference for painting and selling his portraits to newlyweds on purely speculation.
"I sold every painting I presented to the couples or to their parents"[3][not in citation given]
Born in Brooklyn a native of New York, Zimmerman studied painting, drawing, photography and graphic design at the School of Visual Arts, The Parsons School of Design and acquired his Bachelor of Arts Degree at the New York University, with continuing postgraduate studies at the Brooklyn Museum with the iconic contemporary fine portraiture artists Issac & Moses Soyer.
"these incredible brothers gave me the confidence and technology I needed to develop my personal style and direction to earn the respecting myself as the professional artist level of expertise that I desired to strive for."[3][not in citation given]
Throughout the 1960s creating both his paintings and photography, Zimmerman was winning awards for art directing the top editorial magazines[which?] in Manhattan[citation needed] and was the youngest art director in McCall’s history at the young age of 27.[citation needed] Labeled "the wiz kid", he was voted best editorial designer throughout the 1960s for magazines such as societies Status magazine.[citation needed][clarification needed] Zimmerman then relocated to London in 1969 for more inspiration and continued his trio of creativity[clarification needed] and was immediately requested to redesign British Brides magazine for Condé Nast, as well as continuing his oil portraitures and high fashion photography for many[which?] European magazines.[citation needed]
Zimmerman then spent years developing his oil paintings technology throughout Europe, with studios in Paris, and London, before relocating to Los Angeles. He then made the artistic decision to bolster his painting techniques with more emphasis in the photographic portraiture direction in order to increase the depth, realism and color saturation of his paintings.
Intrigued by the realization that "the expression in an oil painting or photographic portrait was dictated by the importance to the first capture all the elusive subtleties in the photograph used as reference to his portraits. And if all the variables were able to be captured at that exact instant moment when all were manipulated and aligned, can visually change the very fine line of the facial expression, and at that precise moment of alignment realized that anyone can look as good as anyone in a 2 dimensional image and alsochangable in expression according to the viewers emotion at the exact time when viewed."[3][not in citation given]
Career[edit]
Zimmerman arrived in Los Angeles in 1975 originated the usage of high profile celebrities as models on high fashion magazine covers.[citation needed]
His famous portrait of Michael Jackson for the famed Thriller album is still, owing to the album's record sales numbers, the most widely distributed portrait and photograph in history.[2]
Zimmerman's array of famous clients have included over 1000 celebrities and icons such as Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, Jane Seymour, Tom Selleck, Farrah Fawcett, Jane Fonda, Heather Locklear, Paul Newman, Dolly Parton, Bob Hope, Robin Williams, Aaron Spelling, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Desmond Tutu.
In 1973 Zimmerman had the rare honor of having been requested to Spain to create the image of Salvador Dali and his wife Gala for their 50th wedding anniversary portraiture. Zimmerman was also invited by Donald Trump to exhibit his portraitures at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach Florida, and his 2017 oil portrait of Pope Francis was his personal present to the Vatican and the response of his holiness, as "the best painting I have ever had of myself."[This quote needs a citation]
Painting techniques[edit]
Zimmerman personally travels worldwide to uniquely design and orchestrate each portrait sitting in the clients own environment with photography first used as reference before his compositional sketching then creating his highly refined oil painting in either of his bicoastal studios.
In addition to his studio in Los Angeles, and galleries in New York, Washington DC, Key West, Hawaii London, Dubai, and Las Vegas Zimmerman has also opened a studio in Tampa and Clearwater, Florida, allowing him new opportunities to service his East Coast clients.
Media[edit]
As his high profile client list expands, Zimmerman has become a celebrity in his own right, having been interviewed for hundreds[which?] of magazines, newspapers, national television interviews and featured on such shows as The Today Show, Fox[4], CNN, HNL’s DrDrew[5], BBC's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Current Affair, and Entertainment Tonight.
Personal life[edit]
Divorced twice and currently married with his wife Patty of 43 years, has a stepson Sean and 2 grandchildren.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Dick Zimmerman Arts".[unreliable source?]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dick Zimmerman about the Thriller cover". Michael Jackson Community forum. Retrieved 17 September 2018.[unreliable source?]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Dick Zimmerman".[unreliable source?]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=L_EwLlMhTHU
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuKzEnmoRjY
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Gary James' interview with photographer Dick Zimmerman
- Dick Zimmerman: The making of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' album cover
- Tampa Bay Magazine
- https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/18/03/p11422213/michael-jackson-thriller-photographer-interviewed-for-just-released-vi Michael Jackson 'Thriller' Photographer Interviewed for Just Released Video Detailing King of Pop's 'Thriller' Album Cover Photo Session]
- Thrilling: the untold story behind one of the most iconic Michael Jackson images of all time
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