Rodney Alan Greenblat

Rodney Alan Greenblat is an American artist, graphic designer and children's book author. He was previously director of the Center for Advanced Whimsy,^[2] is responsible for the character design of several video games, including the PaRappa the Rapper series,^[3] and was an active figure in the East Village art scene of the 1980s.^[4]

Rodney Alan Greenblat
Born	(1960-08-23) August 23, 1960 (age 64) Daly City, California
Education	Corcoran School of Art (1978) School of Visual Arts (1978–1982)[1]
Known for	Illustration fine art
Notable work	Art and character design for the PaRappa the Rapper franchise
Movement	Neo-Surrealist
Website	whimsyload.com

Work

Greenblat's work was shown in East Village museums in the 1980s,^[5] including the Gracie Mansion Gallery,^[6][7] and was at the time considered part of a neo-surrealist movement.^[8] Within the same decade, he did the artwork for New York-based alternative rock band They Might be Giants' first album.^[9][10]

In the 2010s, he has been recognized for his work on Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy, as well as the Thunder Bunny series of books.^[11]

In 2017, he opened The Rodney Shop, a retail outlet and gallery in Catskill, New York.^[12] The location closed in 2020.^[13]

Computer and video games

• Rodney's Funscreen (Published by Activision, 1992, PC/Mac)
• Rodney's Wonder Window (Published by Voyager, 1992, PC/Mac)
• Dazzleoids (Published by Voyager, 1994, PC/Mac)
• PaRappa the Rapper (Published by Sony, 1996, PS1)
• Rodney's Funscreen 2 extreme (Published by Interlink, 1997, PC/Mac)
• Rodney's Artbrain (Published by Interlink, 1997, PC/Mac)
• Um Jammer Lammy (Published by Sony, 1999, PS1)
• PaRappa the Rapper 2 (Published by Sony, 2001, PS2)
• Major Minor's Majestic March (Published by Majesco Entertainment, 2009, Wii)

Solo exhibition history

1982

• The Threshold, Rodney Alan Greenblat. Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island^[1]

1983

• Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York^[1]

1984

• Time of Love. Galerie Anna Friebe, Cologne, Germany^[1]

1985

• The New World. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York^[1]
• Suburban Utopias/Familiar Frontiers. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia^[1]

1986

• House of Progress. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York
• The Tricentennial Room. Karl Bornstein Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1987

• Reality and Imagination; Two Taste Treats in One! Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Reality and Imagination; Two Taste Treats in One! Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas
• The Scenic Route. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York

1988

• Design Your Own Future. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1989

• John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California

1990

• Cosmic Adhesive. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York

1991

• The Center for Advanced Whimsy. Carpenter Arts Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

1992

• Land Ho! The Mythic World of Rodney A. Greenblat. Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia
• Land Ho! The Mythic World of Rodney A. Greenblat. Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia

1993

• Technoweenie. PPOW, New York, New York
• Land Ho! The Mythic World of Rodney A. Greenblat. World Financial Center, New York, New York

1995

• Rodney Time. Creation Gallery G8, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan

1996

• Rodney's Late Breakfast at Milk. Milk, Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan

1997

• Rodney Adventure. Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut

1998

• New Studio Rodney. Parco Department Store, Japan^[14]

1999

• Rodney’s Art in a Box. Sony Plaza, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan^[14]

2000

• Rodney’s Character Club and Post Office Parco Department Store, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan^[14]
• Cafe Rodney. Tokyo, Japan^[14]

2001

• Canworld Expo. Takashimaya Department Store, Osaka, Japan^[14]

2005

• Modern Day. BCB Gallery, Hudson, New York^[14]

2006

• Downtown – The New York Art Scene 1974-1984. Grey Art Gallery NYU, New York, New York
• Universe. Centella Gallery, Tucson, Arizona

2007

• Elemental. Art Print Japan Galleries, Tokyo, Japan

2008

• Free Wheel. BCB Gallery, Hudson, New York

2010

• Thunder Bunny Buddha Shrine. BCB Gallery, Hudson, New York^[15]

2012

• Karma-con. The Rubin Museum, New York, New York

2013

• Gala Veinte!. Hudson Opera House, Hudson, New York^[16]
• The Wonder Verified and Fulfilled. BCB Gallery, Hudson NY

2015

• Vibrant Space. BCB Gallery, Hudson, New York

References

1. Buckley, John (1985). "Rodney Alan Greenblat" (PDF). Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
2. "50 for the future". Newsweek. Vol. 125, no. 9. February 27, 1995. p. 42.
3. Zimmerman, Eric (June 1999). "Lamb rock: interview with Rodney A. Greenblat". The International Design Magazine. Vol. 46, no. 4. p. 98. ProQuest 214757949 – via ProQuest.
4. "Rodney Alan Greenblat". Artnet. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
5. "Gracie Mansion". People. Vol. 24, no. 26. 1985. p. 112.
6. "Multiples & Objects & Books". The Print Collector's Newsletter. 17 (2): 62. 1986. ISSN 0032-8537. JSTOR 24552971.
7. Kirwin, Liza; Brown, Robert F.; Pacini, Marina; Karlstrom, Paul J.; Gustafson, Judith A. (1991). "Regional Reports". Archives of American Art Journal. 31 (3): 34–41. doi:10.1086/aaa.31.2.1557718. ISSN 0003-9853. JSTOR 1557611.
8. Westfall, Stephen (1985). "Surrealist Modes among Contemporary New York Painters". Art Journal. 45 (4): 315–318. doi:10.2307/776805. JSTOR 776805.
9. They Might Be Giants (Album notes). They Might Be Giants. Bar/None Records. 1986.
10. Flansburgh, John (May 3, 2012). "John Flansburgh: Observer Media" (Interview). Interviewed by Debbie Millman. Design Matters. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
11. Beg, Tom (February 6, 2012). "The Supplement: Rodney Alan Greenblat". University for the Creative Arts.
12. Waldron, Diana (August 22, 2018). "The Rodney Shop". Visit Vortex. High Falls, New York.
13. "The Rodney Shop". Retrieved June 27, 2024.
14. "Greenblat, Rodney Alan". Wave-I. Seoul, Republic of Korea. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
15. "Galleries & museums". Chronogram. Kingston, New York: Jason Stern. September 2013. p. 69.
16. "Museums & galleries". Chronogram. Kingston, New York: Jason Stern. December 2010. p. 38.

External links

• Rodney Alan Greenblat's official site
• Rodney's official Japanese-language site