While it's possible to dig up some information online about artist John Rombola, museums will be happy to hear that I probably would have never discovered his whimsical work without them (Cooper Hewitt specifically). His books are sadly out of print, though the blog Dear Ada has posted this great scan of his book Rombola by Rombola and this flickr embroidery artist has found inspiration in his Bullfight Scene painting.
His name pops up in auction sales and the books Twentieth Century Pattern Design and Off the Wall. At one time he worked for Piazza Prints. It's his work for them, a trippy Alice in Wonderland wallpaper to be exact (on display at the Wall Stories: Children's Wallpaper and Books) that caught my eye (and the eye of Cookie Magazine) and made me so curious about him. Unfortunately more information is spotty. Though according to this photo, (which may or may not be the same John Rombola) he may have also designed costumes for the (now defunct) Harkness Ballet and was totally suave looking and surrounded by leopard ladies.
I am just finding this guy more and more intriguing, the harder and harder it is to know a thing about him. I even tracked down one of his books Rombola by Rombola (found on ebay, woo hoo) and bought it for myself for Christmas.
But what do you think?