Joe DeVito was born on March 16, 1957 in New York City. He graduated with
honors from Parsons School of Design in 1981 and studied at the Art Students
League in New York City. He is the founder of DeVito ArtWorks, LLC, an artist-
driven trans-media studio dedicated to the creation and development of multi-
faceted properties including King Kong of Skull Island, War Eagles,
and The Primordials. DeVito ArtWorks is exclusively represented by World
Builder Entertainment.
Joe is also the co-author (with Brad Strickland) of five books, which he illustrated
as well. The first, based on Joe’s original prequel/sequel novella, Skull Island,
was KONG: King of Skull Island (DH Press), published in 2004. The second
book, Merian C. Cooper’s KING KONG, was published by St. Martin’s Griffin in
2005. In 2017 DeVito ArtWorks published the third book (the first under its own
imprint), the very Limited Edition hardcover King Kong of Skull Island, the most
comprehensive Kong history to date. King Kong of Skull Island covers the origins
of the Kongs and the human civilization on Skull Island, the building of the great
Wall, and the in-depth prequel/sequel story of King Kong himself. In 2019 the LE
book was split into a two-part paperback version for the mass market: King Kong
of Skull Island Part One: Exodus and King Kong of Skull Island Part Two: The
Wall.
Currently in play are a new King Kong of Skull Island–based live action TV series
from Disney+, a Skull Island metaverse with The Sandbox, continued expansion
of virtual reality platforms with Raw Thrills, Inc., along with a new Kong comic
book series and board game with Dynamite Entertainment. These follow BOOM!
Studio's highly successful comic book series Kong of Skull Island, and various
special issues delving into events along the Kong timeline, including a six issue
series Kong on the Planet of the Apes in association with 20th Century Fox.
Over the decades Joe has painted many of the most recognizable Pop Culture
and Pulp icons, including King Kong, Tarzan, Doc Savage, Superman, Batman,
Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and MAD magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman. He has
illustrated hundreds of book and magazine covers, painted several notable
posters and numerous trading cards for the major comic book and gaming
houses, and created concept and character design for the film and television
industries. DeVito continues painting covers for the Wild Adventures saga
(written by Will Murray), featuring Doc Savage, Tarzan, The Shadow, Pat Savage
and King Kong–including King Kong vs. Tarzan, the first-ever authorized meeting
of these iconic characters, and The Spider.
Deeply rooted in the fine arts, DeVito has sculpted several traditional statues and
reliefs while restoring many others. These include two monumental statues of the
Madonna and Child. One is placed in Domus Pacis at the Our Lady of Fatima
Shrine, in Portugal. The second sculpture resides at the World Apostolate of
Fatima (WAF) Shrine in Washington, NJ. Also of note was a full restoration of the historic Russian icon known as the Odessa Madonna for the WAF, which now
resides in Kazan, Russia.
Other prominent sculpture commissions include Doc Savage/Giant
Python and Hogarth Tarzan statues for Graphitti Designs, the official 100th
Anniversary statue of Tarzan of the Apes for the Edgar Rice Burroughs
Estate, The Cooper Kong for the Merian C. Cooper Estate, Superman, Wonder
Woman and Batman for DC Comics and Chronicle Books’ Masterpiece Editions,
other notable characters, and trophies for world renowned Lone Star Comics.
To augment his various creative endeavors, DeVito has contributed essays and
articles to such collected works as Kong Unbound: The Cultural Impact, Pop
Mythos, and Scientific Plausibility of a Cinematic Legend and “Do Android Artists
Paint in Oils When They Dream?” in Pixel or Paint: The Digital Divide i n
Illustration Art. He occasionally lectures and has taught in the graduate
illustration program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and
as an adjunct professor in the illustration department at the University of the Arts
in Philadelphia. DeVito is also developing his newest creation in words and
images, a faction world of truly epic proportions titled The Primordials. His
paintings and sculptures have won numerous awards, and are exhibited in
museums, galleries and private collections around the world.
