Ryszard Horowitz was born in Krakow in Poland on May 5th 1939. Four months later the Nazis had invaded his homeland and his entire family ended up being sent to a series of concentration camps. They miraculously survived and at the war's end were amongst the few Jewish families who were able to re-establish their lives in Krakow. Ryszard is one of the youngest known survivors of Auschwitz.
Ryszard studied art at the High School of Fine Arts in Krakow and then went on to major in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in his home city. In 1956 during a brief political and cultural thaw in Poland the government awarded subsidies to encourage new and original art forms and Krakow suddenly emerged as a center of avant-garde jazz, painting, theater and filmmaking. Ryszard, who was seventeen at the time, took full advantage of being at the heart of the action and consequently became fascinated with American photography.
In 1959, he finally achieved his ambition of immigrating to the United States and enrolled at New York's famed Pratt Institute. While still a student at Pratt he was given a scholarship to be apprenticed to Alexey Brodovitch, one of the most influential figures in the world of editorial design and photography at the time. After graduating from Pratt in 1963, Ryszard then worked for a number of film and design companies and as an art director for Grey Advertising.
In November 1967 he opened his own photography studio. Photography would be his lifelong career and passion. In the ensuing four decades his work has been exhibited, published and collected around the globe and Ryszard has been awarded every major accolade that can be bestowed on a photographer including Gloria Artis Gold Medal of merit to culture awarded by the ministry of culture of Poland and Doctor Honoris Causa awarded by Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, and Wroclaw Academy of Fine Arts. He is recognized as a pioneer of special effects photography predating digital imaging.
Awards & Exhibitions
INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE (St. Louis, MO)
RIT UNIVERSITY GALLERY / VIGNELLI CENTER (Rochester, NY) One Man Show
ART PALACE (Krakow, Poland) One Man Show
COMMANDER'S CROSS WITH STAR Awarded by President of the Republic of Poland
HONORARY CITIZEN OF KRAKOW
PHD IN FINE ARTS FROM WARSAW ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
DOCTOR HONORIS CAUSA Awarded by the Wroclaw Academy of Fine Arts
EMBIRICOS GALLERY (Paris, France) One Man Show
ROSE BUD Gallery, Art District 798 (Beijing, China) One Man Show
DOCTOR HONORIS CAUSA Awarded by the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts
UKRAINIAN NATIONAL GALLERY (Kiev, Ukraine) One Man Show
EXPO 2010 (Shanghai, China) One Man Show
CHINA FILM ARCHIVE (Beijing, China) One Man Show
GLORIA ARTIS Gold Medal of Merit to Culture Awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Poland
JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER (New York City) One Man Show
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL (Newport, RI) One Man Show
WESTWOOD GALLERY (New York City) One Man Show
TEATR WIELKI (Warsaw, Poland) One Man Show
NATIONAL MUSEUM (Gdansk, Poland) One Man Show
SPARKASSE BANK GALLERY (Essen, Germany) One Man Show
INTITUTO CULTURAL DE PROVIDENCIA (Santiago, Chile) One Man Show
PALACO CARRASCO (Vina del Mar, Chile) One Man Show
INTERNATIONAL MONTH OF PHOTOGRAPHY (Bratislava, Slovak Republic) One Man Show
INTERNATIONAL GUTENBERG AWARDS (Montreal, Canada) Gold Medal
BIENNALE INTERNATIONALE DE L’IMAGE (Nancy, France) One man show
THE POLISH MUSEUM OF AMERICA (Chicago) One man show
NATIONAL MUSEUM “MANGGHA” (Krakow, Poland) One man show.
WIELICZKA SALT MINES (Wieliczka, Poland ) One man show.
PALACE OF POMERANIAN KNIGHTS (Szczecin, Poland) One man show.
INSTITUTE OF CULTURE (Sofia, Bulgaria) One man show.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (Sopot, Poland) One man show.
OFFICER CROSS OF MERIT awarded by president of the Republic of Poland
SILESIAN PALACE OF CULTURE (Katowice, Poland) One man show.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE EXPO (Poznan, Poland) One man show.
ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM (Medzilaborce, Slovak Republic) One man show.
GALLERIA CREDITO VALTELLINESE, Palazzo delle Stelline (Milan, Italy) One man show.
48e FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM, Festival Palace, (Cannes, France) One man show.
GALERIE DU CHATEAU D’EAU (Toulouse, France) Group exhibition.
JIP/ Journees de l’Image Professionnelle (Arles, France) One man show.
WILLIAM A.REEDY MEMORIAL Lecture/teleconference, Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, New York) One man show.
TUMULT FOUNDATION (Torun, Poland) One man show.
"IMAGE HONG KONG '93" International Photographers' Meet "Aspects of Photography" exhibition connected with a series of seminars entitled: "Photographer in Computerland" held at Hong Kong Convention Center.
THE PRAGUE HOUSE OF PHOTOGRAPHY (Prague, Czechoslovakia) One man show.
THE CENTER FOR CREATIVE IMAGING (Camden, Maine) One man show.
ZPAP (National Gallery of the Polish Society of Artists, Warsaw) One man show connected with a series of seminars entitled: "Art and Computers" held at Warsaw Palace of Culture, and in Krakow, Poland.
First Annual One APA Advertising Photography Award Best in Special Effects Photography.
Kodak's VIP Image Search '91, an international exhibition at ACM SIGGRAPH, Las Vegas. Best in ShowBest in Application/Digital Photography
CENTRE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE (Geneve, Switzerland) One man show.
"Photographie: De la reclame a la publicite" CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU (Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France)
"Professional Visions: Photographs from the Archives of the American Society of Magazine Photographers". Opened at the GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE (Rochester, competition NY) and traveled to the HERBERT JOHNSON MUSEUM AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY (Ithaca, NY).
"The Art of Persuasion: A History of Advertising Photography". A traveling exhibition sponsored by American Photographer Magazine and Eastman Kodak Co. Opened at the INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY (New York); traveled to Tokyo, Osaka, Japan, and Cologne, Germany, and returned to Rochester, NY and Houston, TX.
ZACHETA GALLERY (National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland) One man show.
Creativity '84, Certificate of Distinction.
Named ADWEEK All-American Photographer of the Year. Andy Award of Merit.
"GOLD CADDIE", Best in Car Advertising, Detroit.
"Hommage a Brodovitch" Exhibition, GRAND PALAIS, Paris, France.
Eastman Kodak Exhibition EPCOT CENTER, Disney World, Orlando, FL.
Touring exhibition of Advertising Photography, Poland.
HASTINGS GALLERY, New York; Fashion Photography.
Chicago '78, 5 Certificates of Excellence. Art Directors Club of New York, Certificate of Merit.
Creativity '76, Certificate of Distinction.
Fantastic Realism Exhibition, Festival D'Arles, France; Milano Museum, Italy.
Creativity '75, Certificate of Distinction. USIA, Photography USA Exhibition
The One Show, Merit Award
The One Show, Gold Award & Merit Award Chicago 4, Certificate of Excellence
Philadelphia Art Directors Club, Annual Award of Excellence
Society of Publication Designers, Certificate of Merit
CA-73 Award of Excellence
AIGA, Certificate of Excellence
Art Directors Club of New York, Certificate of Merit
AIGA, Certificate of Excellence
AIGA, Certificate of Excellence
Creativity '71, Certificate of Distinction
Museum of Contemporary Crafts, NY. Photography show.
Art Directors Club of New York, Gold Medal
Art Directors Club of New York, Certificate of Merit
CA-70, Award of Excellence
Certificate of Excellence in Graphic Design, Mead Library of Ideas.
Art Directors Club of New York, Certificate of Merit
Art Directors Club of New York, Certificate of Merit
Art Directors Club of New York, Award of Distinctive Merit
CA-66, Award of Excellence
NSAD and USIA Exhibition of American GraphicsTypomundus 20, Typography exhibition.
Art Directors Club of New York, Award of Distinctive Merit
CA-64, Merit Award
Type Directors Club of New York, Annual Award of Type Excellence
Art Directors Club of New York, Certificate of Merit
Painting Show, PIWNICA, Krakow, Poland
Photography show, PIWNICA, Krakow, Poland
Photography show, Teatr Ludowy, Nowa Huta, Poland
Painting show, Teatr 38, Krakow, Poland
Photography show, Jazz Club, Krakow, Poland
Published Portofolios & Books
RYSZARD HOROWITZ ŻYCIE NIEBYWAŁE, Wspomnienia Fotokompozytora a book by Ryszard Horowitz published by SIW Znak
MIND- Magazine # 1, China
ALL THAT JAZZ- a photo book of jazz giants from the turn of 1950-60
RYSZARD HOROWITZ Impressions of Poznan a book published by Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania
RYSZARD HOROWITZ / PHOTOCOMPOSER a book published by Ryszard Horowitz, Ltd. Second edition
PRO MEMORIA #22, Auschwitz State Museum, Poland
RYSZARD HOROWITZ / PHOTOCOMPOSER- a book published by Auriga awarded Silver Medal by Sappi European Printer of the Year
DP World Magazine- #2, February, China
enVision magazine, Canada
STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN magazine, 4/2002
DIGIT magazine, Warsaw, Poland
VIEW CAMERA magazine, november/december
CANON INSIGHT magazine, 2000 autumn issue
PC PHOTO magazine, September / October
PHOTO ELECTRONIC IMAGING magazine, vol.40, #8
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY magazine, 10.12.97, London
GRAPHIS magazine # 302, vol.52, March, April
RYSZARD HOROWITZ a book by John Blair, Robert A.Sobieszek, Barbara Kosinska WAiF & MM Art Books, Inc.
PHOTO ELECTRONIC IMAGING magazine, vol.38, # 4
PROGRESSO FOTOGRAFICO magazine # 3, April, Milan, Italy
ZOOM International magazine, July / August ‘95
FOTOGRAFISK TIDSKRIFT magazine 106, Stockholm, Sweden
SUPERDESIGNING magazine #9, Tokyo, Japan
LE PHOTOGRAPHE magazine #1517, Paris, France
IdN The Digital Magazine Vol.1/No.4, July / August, Hong Kong
CREATION NUMERIQUE magazine #12.2, Paris, France
IdN The Digital Design Magazine Vol.1/No.2, March/April, Hong Kong
ZOOM magazine #125, # Milano, Italy
PHOTO Electronic Imaging magazine, August
FOTOGRAPHIE (10 magazine, Prague, Czechoslovakia
REFLEX magazine #46, Prague, Czechoslovakia
COLOR FOTO magazine #8/92, Munich, Germany
IDEA magazine #233, Tokyo, Japan
PHOTO magazine #1/19, March-April, Geneva, Switzerland
6x9 magazine #5, October-December, Warsaw, Poland
6x9 magazine #4, July-September, Warsaw, Poland
THE ART OF PERSUASION: A HISTORY OF ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY a book by Robert A.Sobieszek, Abrams
FOTOGRAFIA magazine #3-4 (49-50), Warsaw, Poland
1987 CREATIVITY / ADVERTISING AGE magazine, December
PHOTO/DESIGN magazine, November, December
THE AVANT - GARDES IN NEW YORK a book by S.Tanaka, Tokyo, Japan
IDEA magazine #193, Tokyo, Japan
HOW FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHERS WORK a book edited by Jack Schofield, Amphoto, New York
"ENCYCLOPEDIE INTERNATIONALE DES PHOTOGRAPHERS DE 1839 A NOS JOURS", Ed. Camera Obscura, Hermance, Switzerland
FORM magazine #11, Korea
ZOOM magazine #82, Paris, France
COMMERCIAL PHOTO magazine # 232, Tokyo, Japan
PHOTOGRAPHIE magazine 7/80, Switzerland
ZOOM magazine 5/80, Germany
YOU AND YOUR CAMERA magazine, London, England
PROGRESSO FOTOGRAFICO magazine #3, Milano, Italy
PARDON magazine, November, Frankfurt, Germany
FOTOGRAFIA magazine #3, Warsaw, Poland
PHOTO TECHNIQUES magazine, vol.3, #5, London, England
IDEA magazine #116, Tokyo, Japan
PHOTOGRAPHERS IN NEW YORK, Tokyo, Japan
AMERYKA magazine #117, USA
KODAK INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY #9
ZOOM magazine #16, Paris, France
NIKON WORLD magazine, vol.5, #1
ASAHI CAMERA magazine #12, Tokyo, Japan
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY ANNUAL
PHOTO magazine, December, Paris, France
POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY "WOMEN"
INFINITY magazine, April