We dive into all things mid-century modern design with Graphic Artist Julian Montague

In this episode of Art is Hard, Alicia Disantis interviews Julian Montague, a graphic artist, painter, and illustrator based in Buffalo, New York. We discuss one of Montague's fictional book covers, called "Wildlife Incursions into Modern Architecture," a piece from his mid-century modern-inspired catalogue.

About our Guest

Since the late 1990s, Julian Montague has been making art with a multidisciplinary approach and an undercurrent of existential humor. His artwork takes many different forms, from multi-year conceptual investigations, to making ephemera for a fictional 1970s art institution, to hard-edged abstract paintings.

Montague’s work is largely concerned with exploring and reframing the systems of order that we have come to rely on to make sense of the natural and human-made worlds. His projects can be seen as attempts to question this supposed harmony in order to reveal the absurdity that lies beneath it. The tools and visual language of graphic design play a large role in his artwork, and his two practices often influence one another.

His work has received attention from Dwell, Frieze, It's Nice That, and many others. In 2021 The New York Times recommended his Instagram account as one of the top art accounts to follow. Montague has work in the collections of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Martin Z. Margulies, the Norton Museum of Art, the Progressive Insurance Company, and numerous private collections.

Montague's mid-career retrospective exhibition at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo NY ran over summer and fall of 2023.

His book The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised Edition will be published by the University of Chicago Press fall of 2023.

About Art is Hard

Art is Hard is a bite-sized video series devoted to the process behind creating art. While everyone loves art, many folks have little knowledge of the labor and methods that go into creating a beloved piece. This series pulls the curtain back in an energetic, no-nonsense, and welcoming way to spread knowledge to both the general public and fine artists alike.

Each episode features a fine artist who chooses one piece to discuss:

Inspiration
Process and methods
Challenges

It’s quick, it’s witty, and it’s not too serious. We’ll learn from each other and inspire each other. We’ll shed light on the discipline and effort that goes into making something. Join us.

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