BIOGRAPHY/CURRICULUM VITAE
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Cynthia von Buhler, aka Countess von Buhler, is an American artist, performer, playwright and author. Hailed by the press as “multitalented and eccentric” (Boston Globe), a “rising star” (NY Arts), and “one of the top contemporary surrealists” (Art & Antiques), Cynthia von Buhler has made a name for herself as an award-winning and critically acclaimed fine artist, author, and illustrator. Her illustration work has won awards from the Society of Illustrators and has repeatedly appeared in American Illustration, Communication Arts and the Society of Illustrator annuals of the best illustration in America. Von Buhler's stunning, three-dimensional paintings have been displayed in galleries and museums around the world, and have been featured in books, newspapers and magazines from Rolling Stone to The New Yorker. The New York Times has written four features on her in the last five years. Von Buhler has collaborated on art projects with Steven Spielberg, Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker. She has illustrated book covers for Harry Turtledove, Scott O’Dell, Jane Yolen, Elizabeth George Speare and Lawrence Block. Her sculptures have appeared on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she and her work were profiled in Mary Magdalen: An Intimate Portrait on the Lifetime Network, and she was a recurring character on Discovery Channel’s Oddities. Von Buhler also writes, directs and produces immersive theater. In writing about her theater productions, Forbes called her “a creative genius” and the New York Post wrote, “Von Buhler has the kind of family footnote any writer would kill for.” Von Buhler was the lead singer in two seminal Boston bands, The Women of Sodom and Countess, the latter garnering her a development deal with MCA Records. Her comic work includes Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini (Titan Comics/Hard Case Crime); Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes (Dark Horse Comics) with Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning and Emily and The Strangers (Dark Horse Comics). The Illuminati Ball graphic novel and the the next comic book episode from Minky Woodcock will be released in October by Titan Comics/Hard Case Crime and will be distributed in the United States by Random House.
“Don't pay any attention to what they write about you.
Just measure it in inches.” ― Andy Warhol Selected Domestic Press "A Mystery Ball Where the Illuminati Have Cloven Hooves," feature, The New York Times, August 30, 2017 “In Character: Cynthia von Buhler, Artist”, interview, Time Out New York, January, 2016 “Here’s what happened when I went to an exclusive Illuminati Ball at a secluded waterfront estate”, review, Time Out, August 3, 2016 “Cynthia von Buhler Illuminates the Obscure in the Lavish, Erotic, Yet Playful 'Illuminati Ball'”, review, Broadway World, August 11, 2016 “New York's Immersive Parties Transport Guests Into Worlds Of Famous Galas, Movies And Bygone Eras”, interview, Forbes, June 30, 2016 “A Secret Society-Inspired Soiree”, review, Inside Hook, April 14, 2016 “The Illuminati Ball, An Immersive Dinner Theater Extravaganza”, review, Gothamist, May 2, 2016 “A Night at the Exclusive Illuminati Ball, A Recreation of a 1972 Rothschild Party,” Untapped Cities, review, June 24, 2016 “Naked Dancing, Sacrifices and Milk Baths: Scenes from The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’-esque Illuminati Ball”, review, Paper, June 29, 2016 “Where Von Buhler’s Fantasies Have Free Rein”, interview, The New York Times, January 29, 2016 “Showgirls and hucksters recreate Jazz Age New York in Ziegfeld’s Midnight Frolic' at a hidden Times Square theater”, review, Daily News, April 23, 2015 “ ‘Ziegfeld’s Midnight Frolic’ Explores the Murky Death of the Actress Olive Thomas”, review, The New York Times, April 29, 2015 "How a Chicago Heiress Trained Homicide Detectives With an Unusual Tool: Dollhouses", article, Smithsonian, March 6, 2014. “Miniature Fairy Doors Are Popping Up All Over NYC”, feature, Untapped Cities, July 23, 2013 “The Artist Murder Investigator”, interview, Salon, September 25, 2013 “The Walls Come Tumbling Down”, interview, American Theater, July/August 2013 “Mobsters and Murder on The Lower East Side”, interview, The Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2013, “Getting into the act”, interview, Crain’s New York Business, March 2013 “Immerse Yourself in a Real-Life, Unsolved Murder at Speakeasy Dollhouse”, review, Huffington Post, February 15, 2013 “Using A Dollhouse to Reconstruct a Murder, 77 Year later”, interview, The New York Times, March 2013 “Cynthia Von Buhler Tells Us About Recreating Her Grandfather's Murder In The Bronx”, interview, Gothamist, September 8, 2011 “SHOW Gallery”, photographic feature, Time Out, New York, March 2010 “Hipsters by the Shore”, multimedia interview, The New York Times, September 2007 “Cynthia von Buhler”, cover feature, New York Arts, January/February 2007 “Warhol Wake”, review and interview, Chelsea Now, February 2007 “Turning Andy Warhol into a Commodity”, review, Gothamist, February 2007 “What’s New In The Surreal World”, article, Art & Antiques, March 2006 “Cynthia von Buhler”, cover feature, New York Arts, January/February 2007 “Spin at CVB Space”, review, New York Arts, May 2006 “Art in Review: The Studio Visit”, by Roberta Smith, The New York Times, February 24, 2006 “3 Questions For Cynthia von Buhler”, interview, Time Out New York, January 19 – 26, 2006 “Caffeine for Your Social Life”, billboard featuring von Buhler, The Boston Globe, November 2004 – May 2005 “Cynth-O-Matic: Cynthia von Buhler”, cover feature, Gallery Guide, October 2005 “Step Right Up”, cover feature and interview, The Boston Globe Calendar, October 7, 2004 “Vanitas, Cynthia von Buhler is Selling Herself, Cheap”, feature article, New York Arts, May, 2004 “40 Bostonians We Love” cover feature, Boston Magazine, June 2002. “#26 - Cynthia von Buhler, Performance Artist” “Book Design & Art”, interview, Arts Media, Summer, 2002 “Cynthia von Buhler”, cover story, Communication Arts, March/April, 2002 “If These Walls Could Talk”, “Pick of the Week”, review, The Boston Phoenix, October, 2002 “They Called Her Molly Pitcher”, book review, The New York Times, October 20, 2002 “The Countess”, “Eight Days A Week”, cover review, The Boston Phoenix, October, 2001 “Total Gonzo: The Countess, Karen Finley”, feature story, New York Arts, September, 2001 “The Style Makers”, cover feature and interview, The Boston Globe, September, 2001 “Stripped Down Performances, Karen Finley and Cynthia von Buhler”, review of “Royally Fucked”, The Boston Globe, July, 2001 “Hidden Portrayals”, Step By Step Magazine, cover story, January, 2001 “Allston Gothic”, interview, The Boston Globe, December 17, 2000 “Art of Darkness: Lonesome Dove”, feature and interview, Boston Magazine, October, 2000 “Original Cynthia”, “Living/Arts” cover feature and interview, The Boston Globe, March, 2000 “Through the Looking Glass, Darkly”, review, The Boston Globe, June 3, 1999 “Meet The Countess”, cover feature and interview, Improper Bostonian, Boston, December, 1998 “Down For The Countess”, cover feature and interview, Entertainment Today, October, 1998 “The New Bedford Art Museum”, review, Art New England, August/September, 1998, The Audubon Legacy and Vault Series “Myths of Passion Explored”, review, The Boston Globe, August 7, 1997 “The Estrogen Channel, People Are Talking About”, review, Vogue, August, 1995 Selected International Press “Prima Delle Elezioni”, review, D'ARS International Arts Magazine, September, 2005 “Il Principe dei sogni”, review, “The Principe Azzurro”, Bologna Night and Day, May 29, 2003 “Il Principe Azzuro”, review, “The Principe Azzuro”, Archivio Delle Arte, September, 2003 “Il Principe dei sogni”, review, “The Principe Azzuro”, D'ARS International Arts Magazine, September, 2003 Television & Film “A Gurney For Grandpa”, Oddities, television feature about Speakeasy Dollhouse, The Science Channel, March 2012 “Of Dolls & Murder: Inside the Speakeasy Dollhouse”, a documentary about Speakeasy Dollhouse by Susan Marks, October 2011 "Salman Rushdie, The Fire of Life Book Trailer, filmed at Cynthia von Buhler's Freaks! Party", October 2010 "Johnny Cash Music Video", collaboration with Rick Rubin and Chris Milk, April 24, 2010 “Law & Order: SVU”, NBC, Cynthia von Buhler’s paintings, sculptures and art studio were used as those of a serial killer, 2007 “The Artists Are Coming”, television interview, NBC Network, NYC Tri-state area, March, 2008 “Andy Warhol”, television interview, Fuji Television Network, Japan, February, 2007 “Artists On Staten Island”, television news interview, NY 1 News, April 2007 “Brooklyn’s Renaissance”, TV interview, Channel 5 News (An ABC affiliate), Chronicle Magazine, aired on May 24, 2004 “CVB Space”, interview, The International Channel, RAI Corporation Italian TV, aired internationally, May 22, 2004 “Mary Magdalen, An Intimate Portrait”, interview, Lifetime Network, April, 1995 "The Amazing Royal Crowns", video starring Cynthia von Buhler as Bettie Page aired on MTV's Beevis & Butthead, 1999. |
Graphic Novels
The Illuminati Ball, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Titan Comics, October 2019, ISBN 1785863975 Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, July 2018, ISBN 1787732215 Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes, written by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, afterword by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Dark Horse Books, 2011, ISBN 1595825789 Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning, memoir, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, 2011, Kickstarter Children's Picture Books But Who Will Bell the Cats?, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Houghton Mifflin, 2009, ISBN 0618563148 The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside, written and illustrated by von Buhler, Houghton Mifflin, 2006, ISBN 0618563148 They Called Her Molly Pitcher, written by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by von Buhler, Knopf, 2002, ISBN 0679891870 Once Upon A Fairytale, partially written by Martha Stewart, partially illustrated by von Buhler, 21 celebrity authors, 21 award-winning illustrators, a Steven Spielberg benefit project, Viking, 2001, ISBN 0-670-03500-9 Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is A Planet, written by Dennis Brindell Fradin, illustrated by von Buhler, Mondo Books, 2004, ISBN 1-59336-006-1 Little Girl in Red Dress With Cat and Dog, written by Nicholas Nicholson, illustrated by von Buhler, Viking, 1998, ISBN 0670871834 Comic Books Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini Issue 4, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, covers by Cynthia von Buhler and Dean Haspiel , Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, 2018 Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini Issue 3, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, covers by Cynthia von Buhler and Fred Harper, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, 2018 Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini Issue 2, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, covers by Fay Dalton and Cynthia von Buhler, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, 2017 Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini Issue 1, written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, covers by David Mack, Robert McGinnis, Cynthia von Buhler and Charles Ardai, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, 2017 Other Books The Shakespeare Oracle: Let the Bard Predict Your Future, written by A. Bronwyn Llewellyn with a full tarot deck illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Fair Winds Press, 2003, ISBN 1592330169 Cynthia von Buhler, Illustration 1995 - Present Selected clients: The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Time, Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, The New York Times, The New Republic, Communication Arts, Seattle Opera, US News and World Report, Sony Records, John Hancock Insurance, The History Channel, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Us Magazine, Neil Gaiman/Amanda Palmer, Clive Barker, The Library of Congress, Time, Discover, Viking, Knopf, Random House, Dark Horse Comics and hundreds of others. Cover Art Comic Books: Emily & The Strangers (Variant Cover #3), Written by Rob Reger, 2013, Dark Horse Comics Young Adult Books: The Perilous Gard, Written by Elizabeth Marie Pope, 2001, Houghton Mifflin; The Sherwood Ring, Written by Elizabeth Marie Pope, 2006, Houghton Mifflin; The Fated Sky, Written by Henrietta Branford, 1999, Candlewick; Queen's Own Fool, Written by Jane Yolen, 2001, Puffin Books; The Bronze Bow, Written by Elizabeth George Speare, 1997, Houghton Mifflin; The Silver Cup, Written by Constance Leeds, 2007, Viking; The Vanishing Point, Written by Louise Hawes, 2004, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; The Last Girls of Pompeii, Written by Kathryn Lasky, 2007, Viking; Peregrine, Written by Joan Elizabeth Goodman, 2000, Houghton Mifflin; Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc, Written by Polly Schoyer Brooks, 1999, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Queen Eleanor: Independent Spirit of the Medieval World, 1999, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Lost in the Labyrinth, Written by Patricia Kindl, 2002, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; The Road to Damietta, Written by Scott O'Dell, 2004, Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Adult Books: Household Gods, Written by Harry Turtledove and Judith Tarr, 2009 (Tor); Coward's Kiss, Written by Lawrence Block, 1988, G. K. Hall & Company (illustrated under the name Cynthia Carrozza) CDs: An Evening With Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, The Moors, The Julliard String Quartet, Anon, Soon, Nigh Solo Art Exhibits 2011, Mark Twain House and Museum, Hartford, CT 2009, Nassau County Museum of Art, Long Island, NY 2007, Staten Island Museum of Art, Staten Island, NY 2007, Exit Art, New York, NY 2004, Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA 2006, Cynth-O-Matic: Documented, Studio D’Ars, Milan, Italy 2005, Cynth-O-Matic, CVB Space, New York, NY 2004, Cynth-O-Matic, 301 Gallery, Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA 2004, Cynth-O-Matic, The Dollhaus Gallery, Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY 2002, These Walls Could Talk, installation, The Dietrich Gallery, Boston, MA 2001, Inside/Out, New England School of Art and Design, Boston, MA 1999, Through the Looking-Glass, Darkly, National Boston Video Center, Boston, MA 1996, Imajica, National Boston Video Center, Boston, MA Street Art 2012-2014, Speakeasy Dollhouse Doors Project, Manhattan and Brooklyn Streets, NYC 2012, Speakeasy Dollhouse Building Projections, Lower East Side, Manhattan, NYC 2010, Books of Wonder Animatronic Window, Manhattan , NYC 2000, X.C.R.M.N.T. 2000 Celebrity Shit Project, Shrine toilets with celebrity excrement buried across the United States. Immersive Theater Productions Director, Writer, Producer, Set Designer 2017- 2019, The Illuminati Ball New York City, Weylin, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 2016- 2019, The Illuminati Ball, an immersive excursion, Secret Location, 1 hour outside of Manhattan 2018, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini immersive play, Theatre 80, Manhattan, NY 2016, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning immersive play, Weylin, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 2016, The Stolen Jagermeister Recipe, Weylin, Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY (Client: Vice and Jagermeister) 2015, Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic immersive play, Liberty Theater, Times Square, New York City, NY 2011-2015, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning immersive play, The Back Room, Lower East Side, New York City, NY 2014, Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Brothers Booth immersive play, The Players Club, Gramercy Park, New York City, NY Discography 2001, Shooting Star, Countess, Castle von Buhler Records (funded by MCA Records) 1999, Nigh, art and music compilation, AIDS Action Committee benefit, producer and contributor 1997, Anon, art and music compilation, AIDS Action Committee benefit, producer and contributor 1997, Boots, Women of Sodom, PussyKitty Records 1996, Soon, art and music compilation, AIDS Action Committee benefit, producer and contributor Awards/Honors American Illustration, 33, 25, 23, 21, 20, 18, 17, 14 Society of Illustrators, New York City, 49, 46, 45, 42, 40, 38, 37; Los Angeles, 36, 35 Communication Arts Illustration Annuals, 45, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37; Design Annual, 38 Book Sense Children’s Pick, “The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside”, 2006/2007 Teacher’s Pick, Parent & Child Magazine, “The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside”, 2006 Top 100 Picture Books of the Year, “They Called Her Molly Pitcher”, The New York Public Library, 2002 Boston Music Awards, nomination for Best Club Act, “Countess”, 2002 Exceptional Book of the Year, “Little Girl in a Red Dress with Cat and Dog”, Bookman Review Syndicate, 1998 The Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll, “Women of Sodom”, 1997 Silver Medal, The Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, CA, 1997 Gold and Bronze Medals, The Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, CA, 1996 Gold Medal, The Visual Club, New York, NY, 1995 Selected Lectures Rhode Island School of Design, RI, November, 2011 Joe's Pub, Heeb Storytelling, Live Comics Edition, 2010 Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA, October 3-8, 2004 The Museum of American Illustration, New York, NY, November 4, 2004 Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA, 1999 Exhibitions Juried The Museum of American Illustration Annual Exhibition 2004 The Museum of American Illustration Student Exhibition Competition 2005 The Museum of American Illustration Student Exhibition Competition 2003 Collections The Nassau County Museum of Art, The Staten Island Museum, The University of Toronto, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, The William Whipple Museum, and more than 200 private collections, including those of Howard Stern, Neil Gaiman and Jann Wenner Education B.F.A. The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley College, Cambridge, MA, 1991, Illustration (Fine Art Minor) Also studied at: New School, New York City, New York, 2015, Screenwriting, 2015 - 2016 Richmond College, Kensington Campus, London, England, Studio Art and Humanities, 1987 
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