“Plenty of people start life coloring outside the lines. But sooner or later, the pressures of convention reel them in. It takes an unwavering self-assurance — or blind madness — to stick to one’s vision. Edgar Miller was neither a renegade nor an iconoclast, but this multitalented creative refused to be sidetracked by the expectations of others.
“A jack-of-all-trades and master of many, he was an accomplished architect, painter, graphic designer, and muralist. He sculpted in stone and plaster, carved wood, and worked in stained glass. Miller, who died in 1993, has never been forgotten in Chicago, but as with anyone who never fit neatly in a box, it doesn’t hurt to shine a light his way from time to time, as the DePaul Art Museum is with the exhibition Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern, 1917–1967, on view September 12 to February 23.
“Deploying an aesthetic that embraced a range of styles, from neo-Gothic to art deco, he operated in a kind of William Morris mode, celebrating craftsmanship and reveling in the ability to fashion nearly every aspect of a built environment.
“Arguably the most notable of these are the live-work spaces he created in Old Town: the Carl Street Studios, at 155 West Burton Place, and the Kogen-Miller Studios at 1734 North Wells Street. Miller was a great recycler, and salvaged steel, glass, wood, and stone found their way into these near-maximalist compositions. Compared with the clean-cut philosophy of modernism in the 1920s and ’30s, Miller’s style was downright bohemian.
“A 1932 Architecture magazine profile described him as a ‘modest’ artist who ‘labors hard and incessantly with an inner satisfaction.’ But Miller was no Henry Darger of the design world. He was a regular at both the Dill Pickle Club, a progressive spot that hosted the likes of Margaret Sanger and Clarence Darrow, and the Tavern Club, which counted William Wrigley Jr. among its members.
“He did commercial work for Marshall Field & Company and the Container Corporation of America and designed wallpapers for Bassett & Vollum, several of which are still available today. The DePaul exhibition features a range of Miller’s work — sketches and drawings, advertising graphics, tableware, stained glass, and furniture, including a carved wooden bench from the Normandy House, a restaurant on the Magnificent Mile.” (Connors, Chicago Magazine, 9/11/24)
Guest curated by Dr. Marin R. Sullivan, Edgar Miller: Anti-Modern, 1917–1967 is the most extensive solo presentation of Miller’s work to date and will feature approximately 85 fragments, artworks, graphics, and pieces of ephemera reflecting all facets of Miller’s career, including representative examples of his drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration and graphic design, textiles, ceramics, jewelry, woodcarving, stained glass, interior design, and architectural projects. Because so much of Miller’s career was spent working collaboratively, the exhibition will also include pieces created by some of Miller’s colleagues and influential contemporaries, including Hester Miller Murray, Andrew Rebori, and Jesús Torres. (DePaul Art Museum)