Rafal Olbinski was born in 1943 in Kielce, Poland. Immigrated to the United States in 1981, where he soon established himself as a prominent painter, illustrator and designer. For his artistic achievements, he has received more than 150 awards including Gold and Silver Medals from the Art Directors Club of New York, Gold and Silver Medals from the Society of Illustrators in New York and Los Angeles, and The Big Crit 2000 Award by Critique Magazine in San Francisco.

 

In years 1983 – 1988 he was a faculty member at Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1987 – 2001 he was working as an instructor at the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York City.

 

In 1994 Olbinski was awarded the International Oscar for The World’s Most Memorable Poster, Prix Savignac in Paris. In the same year he received the Creative Review Award for the Best of British Illustration in London.

 

In 1995 his poster was chosen as the official New York City Capital of the World Poster in an invitational competition by a jury led by Mayor Rudolf Giuliani. 

 

In 1996 Rafal Olbinski was commissioned by the U.S. Information Agency to design a poster celebrating the 25thEarth Day Anniversary. From 2002 through 2010, a selection of Olbinski paintings was included in the Grand Space projection in Grand Central Terminal, as a highlight of the Earth Day Celebration in New York. The others artists featured in the show are Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Raushenberg and Andy Warhol.

 

In 2001, the Willy-Brandt House in Berlin presented the works of Rafal Olbinski in a one man retrospective exhibition entitled “Art at the Turn of the Century”. 

 

In 2008 Olbinski had a one man exhibition titled “Olbinski – Photokina Expo” in Cologne, Germany.

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In 2009 he had a large museum exhibition at The Jule Collins Smith Museum in Auburn entitled “New Dreams of Old Values”.

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In 2014 his works was presented at Art Expo China in Beijing and in 2015 at EXPO in Milano, Italy.

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In 2017 he had one man exhibition at Kosciuszko Foundation in New York.

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Olbinski has completed many large murals for instalations in public space in Europe as well as more than 100 opera images for the opera houses around the world including New York City Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera.

 

In 2012 artist was awarded the prestigious Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for outstanding achievement in the field of art. The President of the Republic of Poland awarded Olbinski the highest award in the field of arts, the Gold Medal “Gloria Artist”.

 

Rafal Olbinski illustrations have appeared on the covers or been shown in publications such as Newsweek, Time, Business Week, Playboy, Omni, The New York Times, New Yorker and Der Spiegel and his work has been featured in many international magazines including: Print, Graphis, Novum, Idea, Art Magazine in America, High Quality and Universe des Artes.

 

Rafal Olbinski paintings are included in the collections of the National Arts Club in New York, the Smithsonians Institute and the Library of Congres in Washington, Suntory Museum in Osaka, Japan and others throughout Europe and United States.