The Brothers Hildebrandt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Greg and Tim Hildebrandt (1939-01-23)January 23, 1939 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | Tim Hildebrandt:[1] June 11, 2006(2006-06-11) (aged 67)New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. Greg Hildebrandt: October 31, 2024(2024-10-31) (aged 85)Denville Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Meinzinger Art School |
| Occupation | Illustrators |
| Notable work | |
| Awards | Lifetime Chesley Award (Greg) World Fantasy Award for Best Artist (Tim) |
| Website | Official website |
Greg (January 23, 1939 – October 31, 2024) andTim Hildebrandt (January 23, 1939 – June 11, 2006), known as theBrothers Hildebrandt, were American twin brothers who worked collaboratively asfantasy andscience fiction artists for many years, produced illustrations for comic books, movie posters, children's books, posters, novels, calendars, advertisements, and trading cards.[1][2]
Born inDetroit, Michigan,[3] Greg and Tim Hildebrandt studied at theMeinzinger Art School,[4] and began painting professionally in 1959 as the Brothers Hildebrandt. The brothers both held an ambition to work as animators forWalt Disney, and although they never realized this dream, their work was heavily influenced by the illustration style ofDisney feature films such asSnow White,Pinocchio andFantasia. They were also influenced by the artwork incomic books andscience fiction books, notably the work ofNorman Rockwell andMaxfield Parrish.[5]
The brothers are best known for their popularThe Lord of the Rings calendar illustrations,[6] illustratingcomics forMarvel Comics andDC Comics, original oil paintings for a limited edition of Terry Brooks'sThe Sword of Shannara,[6] and theirMagic: The Gathering andHarry Potter illustrations forWizards of the Coast.
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In 1977 the brothers were approached by20th Century Fox to produce poster art for the UK release ofStar Wars. A promotional poster had already been produced in the US by the artistTom Jung, but Fox executives considered this poster "too dark". The Brothers Hildebrandt had established a reputation working on theLord of the Rings calendar and a concept poster forYoung Frankenstein, and Fox commissioned them to rework the image. The twins had to work to a very tight deadline, and worked together in shifts to produce a finished product in 36 hours. Their version of the poster, referred to asStyle "B", was distributed to be used on British cinemabillboards for the UK release, and became possibly their best known work.[8] Using the same layout as Jung'sStyle "A" poster, it depicts the character ofLuke Skywalker standing in a heroic pose brandishing a shininglightsaber above his head, withPrincess Leia standing below him, and a large, ghostly image ofDarth Vader's helmet looming behind them. The central figures are surrounded by smaller depictions of other characters and a montage ofstarfighters in combat amid a sea of stars.[9][10] Both Jung and the Hildebrandts had worked on their posters without reference to photographs of the actual cast, and Fox andLucasfilm later decided that they wanted to promote the new film with a lessstylized and morerealistic depiction of the lead characters. ProducerGary Kurtz commissioned the film poster artistTom Chantrell to paint a new version fromfilm stills andpublicity photos.Star Wars opened in British theatres on December 27, 1977, and the Hildebrandts' poster continued to be used until late January 1978, when it was replaced by Chantrell'sStyle "C" poster.[11]
Despite their strong associations with the works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien, the brothers were not given a role in the production ofRalph Bakshi's animated version ofThe Lord of the Rings (1978), which was a source of disappointment for them. In 1981, the Hildebrandts had another film poster commission, for theGreek mythologicalheroic fantasy filmClash of the Titans. Together, the brothers developed a concept for a fantasy movie,Urshurak; although this never went into production, the Hildebrandts collaborated with authorJerry Nichols to publishUrshurak in the form of an illustrated fantasy novel in 1979.[12]
The lack of success withUrshurak may have contributed to their decision to work independently of each other, and in 1981 the brothers began to pursue separate careers.[12] Greg painted cover artwork for the magazinesOmni andHeavy Metal, and illustrated a number of books includingMary Stewart'sMerlin Trilogy,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,Aladdin,Robin Hood,Dracula, andThe Phantom of the Opera. Tim also created cover art for books such asThe Time of the Transference andThe Byworlder, as well as forAmazing Stories magazine, along with illustratedcalendars based on fantasy themes such asDungeons & Dragons. After 12 years the Brothers reunited to collaborate on work forMarvel Comics,Stan Lee, and numerous book projects.[13]
Greg Hildebrandt Jr. also made major contributions to the production of a book entitledGreg & Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years,[14] which gave an overview of the Tolkien genre artworks produced by Greg and Tim in the 1970s.
Brothers Hildebrandt artwork forLord of the Rings is featured in theMagic: The Gathering collectible trading card game[15] as borderless cards.[16]
Individually, Greg contributed to the art for theTrans-Siberian Orchestra's albums and concert merchandise. He also provided the cover art forBlack Sabbath's 1981Mob Rules album.[17] He started his American Beautiespinup art in 1999. In 2019, it was announced that Greg would provide cover art for a new series ofStar Trek comics,Star Trek: Year Five, fromIDW Publishing. This was the first time that Greg had worked on theStar Trek franchise.[18]
During the 1980s and 1990s Greg illustrated a number of classic books. These range fromGreg Hildebrandt's Favorite Fairy Tales,Alice in Wonderland,Peter Cottontail's Surprise,Peter Pan andRobin Hood toDracula,Poe: Stories and Poems andThe Phantom of the Opera. During this time Greg also illustrated the holiday booksChristmas Treasury andTreasures of Chanukah.[citation needed]
In April 2022, Greg was reported among the more than three dozen comics creators[19] who contributed toOperation USA's benefit anthology bookComics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, a project spearheaded by editorScott Dunbier whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from theFebruary 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[20][21] Greg, who joined the project in its second week, explained his reasons for contributing thus: "Neither Jean nor I ever expected to live long enough to see Russia attack any country simply out of greed. The savagery we have witnessed in these past weeks is beyond anything we can fathom. Our hearts break for the people of Ukraine. The loss of life is stunning. The monstrously evil insanity of Putin's War is equal to the Turks attempt to exterminate the Armenians in WWI and Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jews in WWII. Any project that I can lend my art to that will thwart Putin is a project I will join with all my heart, soul and mind."[19]
Greg married his first wife, Diana F. Stankowski, in 1963.[22] Diana assisted in his art projects and was the model for Princess Leia on theStar Wars movie poster.[23] They had two daughters and a son.[22] In 1991 Greg began living with longtime colleague Jean Scrocco. The couple married in 2009.[24] Greg died on October 31, 2024, at the age of 85.[25]
Tim Hildebrandt illustrated children's books, twoDungeons & Dragons calendars, and the poster for the 1982 filmThe Secret of NIMH; his art was also used in advertising byAT&T andLevi's.[26]
Tim was associate producer of the 1983 horror-themed science fiction filmThe Deadly Spawn,[27] filmed in Tim and Rita's Victorian home in Gladstone.[citation needed]
Tim married Rita Murray, who went on to design and create the costumes for theLord of the Rings works.[28] Together they had a son.[29] Tim Hildebrandt died on June 11, 2006, at the age of 67, due to complications of diabetes.[26]
Tim won the 1992World Fantasy Award for Best Artist.[30] Both were awarded theInkpot Award in 1995.[31] In 2010 Greg Hildebrandt received theChesley Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement from theAssociation of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists.[32] Together, the brothers were awarded the Gold Medal by theSociety of Illustrators.[5]
Terrence Brown, Director of theSociety of Illustrators, describe the brothers as "more than a footnote in the history of American illustration. [They] are the long chapter ... [They are among] the roots of popular culture."[33]
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| Other | |
Greg Hildebrandt | |
| Tim Hildebrandt | |
