ryszard immigrated to the united states in 1959 and enrolled at new york's pratt institute in the commercial and advertising graphic design department. here he encountered his mentors, richard avedon and alexey brodovitch. horowitz took part in weekly seminars led by brodovitch and worked as an assistant for avedon in 1963, including at his famous portrait session with salvador dali. after graduating from pratt in 1962, horowitz began working in film and television and graphic design companies, including a stint as art director for grey advertising.