Robert Risko: 25 Years of the Mark Twain Prize in Caricature

Acclaimed caricaturist Robert Risko’s portraits of recipients of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Held annually in Washington D.C. since 1998, the Mark Twain Prize recognizes comedic icons who have made significant impact on American culture, following in the footsteps of the great 19th century humorist.

“A perfectly created caricature is really just a way to freeze a comedy moment in time,” said Risko. “When you look back at so many classic comedy tv shows or movies they had these incredible opening segments that incorporated over-the-top animations and caricatures. In creating the Mark Twain Prize caricatures, we really wanted to draw inspiration from that.”