Herbert D. Ryman

American, 1910–1989

Herbert D. Ryman was born in Vernon, Illinois. Early on, his family moved to Decatur, where he attended Millikin University before transferring to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1932. After college he followed his sister to California, where he started at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a production designer. Ryman lived and worked in California for the majority of his career.

Ryman was a draftsman, painter and printer who was famous for his role as a Disney Imagineer. He was instrumental in conceptualizing several iconic structures for Walt Disney’s Disneyland, including Cinderella’s Castle. Outside of his contributions to Disney, Ryman’s artistic output was very diverse in subject matter. For two summers he traveled with the Ringling Bros. Circus and Barnum and Bailey Circus to document circus life. Throughout his career, Ryman was involved in his local art community, and he served as President of the California Art Club in 1963. To preserve the artist’s legacy, his family founded Ryman Arts in 1989 as a center for Los Angeles art students to refine and further explore their artistic talents.

Photo courtesy of Ryman Arts