Yoshitaka Amano is a contemporary Japanese illustrator and painter. Often working as a designer for films, theater, and televisions, he is best known for his anime adaptation of Speed Racer and for his commissioned illustrations created for the Final Fantasy video game franchise. Amano’s elegant style fuses his interests in Western comic books, Japanese wood block prints, and Art Nouveau artists like Gustav Klimt in works that are highly stylized and characterized by their wispy appearance. Born on March 26, 1952 in Shizuoka, Japan, he went on to work for Tatsunoko Productions at the age of 15. During the 1990s, Amano created paintings of iconic retro pop icons like David Bowie, which have since been exhibited internationally. Amano lives and works between Tokyo, Japan and New York, NY.