Courtesy of the University of Chicago Press

Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern Exhibition Catalogue

DePaul Art Museum
Print Publication

Published in conjunction with DePaul Art Museum’s 2024 retrospective of Miller’s work, Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern, 1917–1967, this publication 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.  

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 alongside DePaul Art Museum’s 2024 retrospective Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern, 1917–1967, this publication features new research by Marin R. Sullivan, Craig Lee, and Jenn Marshall, shedding light on one of Chicago’s most prolific yet underappreciated artists. Edgar Miller (1899–1993), a multifaceted creative, defied modernist trends, creating a diverse body of work focused on figurative storytelling and the natural world, spanning architecture, design, and more. 

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