Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, were avid artists from an early age. At 18 they began their professional careers, working for the Jam Handy Organization, animating training films for the military and other major US corporations. Technique for Life, a film they worked on, won the coveted Golden Eagle award.
In 1963, they moved to New York to work for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on his TV show, Life is Worth Living, and producing films on world hunger.
In 1969, They began illustrating children's books and advertising campaigns for several years until 1975, when they answered an open call from Ballantine Books looking for artists to illustrate their 1976 J.R.R Tolkien, Lord of the Rings calendar. Greg and Tim won the opportunity and over the next two years poured their hearts into the world of Wizards and Hobbits. They created 43 paintings for the 1976, 1977, and 1978 calendars that ultimately changed their lives and pushed the landscape of fantasy art. The world officially began to know and recognize, The Brothers Hildebrandt.
With the release of the final calendar still pending, Greg and Tim began the process of writing and illustrating their personal project, The New York Times best seller, Urshurak.
During this time, George Lucas was in need of a striking movie poster to help sell his latest film. Having taken notice of the first two calendars, Lucas Film hired the Brothers and they created one of the most recognizable movie posters in cinematic history. The film, Star Wars.
As the new decade emerged, the Brothers began discussing their future, and in 1981 decided to pursue individual careers.
Following in the tradition of many great illustrators, Greg focused on illustrated classics for Simon and Schuster, and Unicorn. The New York Times has said, "Fortunate the child or adult who receives a gift of classics richly illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt."
After 12 long but productive years, Greg and Tim reunited. They would continue a long and successful career garnering attention and awards, including the Gold Medal from The Society of Illustrators, independently and as the Brothers Hildebrandt until Tim's passing in 2006.
In 1999, Greg realized a lifelong dream by creating The American Beauties pinup series. Within weeks of completing 'Emerald Evening,' the first painting in the series, Greg landed a one-person show at the Meisel Gallery in Soho, New York.
In 2003, Greg became the exclusive artist for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a progressive rock band known for their large-scale stage shows and themes of hope.
In 2015, Greg began creating comic covers for Marvel Comics.
Now, in his 80's Greg continues to work every day, feverishly chasing his imagination and exploring the world of art around him. In his latest series “Kid Stuff”, Greg explores the passage of time and deterioration by rendering his childhood toys as they appear now weathered with age. These paintings are some of his most intriguing and thought-provoking works to date. His work continues to be sought after by collectors around the world.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
