Full Description
A survey of the work of one of Chicago's most prolific artists.
Edgar Miller (1899-1993) arrived in Chicago in 1917 and, over the next fifty years, established a successful career as a multi-hyphenate creative practitioner. He worked as an architect, artist, craftsperson, curator, designer, and illustrator during a particularly rich period that saw the ascendancy of modernism across the visual culture of the city. Though aware of contemporary developments and debates, Miller's tremendous body of work, which spanned multiple media, materials, and disciplines, speaks to an individual unconcerned with trends, labels, or what became the established tenets of modern art. While developing a signature style, he never embraced the aesthetics of geometric abstraction, "art for art's sake," subjective expressionism, or the machine age. He instead remained committed to figurative storytelling and representing the natural world, creating work that was intended to be experienced across the built environment.
Published in conjunction with DePaul Art Museum's 2024 retrospective of Miller's work, Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern, 1917-1967 features new research by scholars Marin R. Sullivan, Craig Lee, and Jenn Marshall that serves to highlight one of Chicago's most prolific and under-appreciated artists.
Contents
Director's Foreword
Laura-Caroline de Lara
Preface
Zac Bleicher
Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern, 1917-1967
Marin R. Sullivan
Chronology
1899-1926
A Conclave of Design and a Church in Tulsa
Craig Lee
Chronology
1927-1937
Rich: Edgar Miller's Designs for Dining
Jennifer Jane Marshall
Chronology
1938-1993
Selected Exhibition History
Selected Bibliography
Exhibition Checklist
Contributor Bios
