 | |
| The Brothers Hildebrandt | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Born | January 23, 1939 |
| Died | Greg: October 31, 2024 Tim: June 11, 2006 |
| Images | Gallery |
| Website | The Brothers Hildebrandt Tim Hildebrandt |
The Brothers Hildebrandt were a duo of fantasy artists consisting of the twin brothers Greg Hildebrandt (January 23, 1939 - October 31, 2024) and Tim Hildebrandt (January 23, 1939 – June 11, 2006).
The brothers have been recognized artists in the world of Tolkien-inspired art. Other art includes the original poster art of Star Wars and over a hundred Marvel Masterpieces, including Swimsuit Specials.
They created reference photographs prior to painting many of their pieces and both preferred to work on Masonite rather than Canvas.[1]
Until Tim's death, the twins painted together, or in shifts, dependent of the time they had for a piece of art. After a struggle with diabetes, Tim passed away on June 11, 2006.
The Lord of the Rings
After seeing a Tolkien calendar with Tim Kirk's art, they responded to a call for artists by Ballantine. Their art was well-liked, and they were commissioned to illustrate the 1976 Ballantine calendar.
More calendars followed: 1977, 1978 - and they sold a record one million calendars. They moved their scope to other large projects, but kept producing Tolkien artwork. In 2001, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years was published by Greg's son, Gregory Jr. Following the release of this collection, Ballantine began to reissue their popular Tolkien Calendars starting in 2002.
Published artwork
- 1976 - Tolkien Calendar
- 1977 - Tolkien Calendar
- 1978 - Tolkien Calendar
- 1979 - The Art of the Brothers Hildebrandt
- 1985 - From Tolkien to Oz (by William McGuire)
- 1992 - J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle-earth (by Daniel Grotta)
- 2001 - Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years
- 2002 - Tolkien Calendar
- 2003 - Postcard Calendar
- 2004 - Tolkien Calendar
- 2005 - Tolkien Calendar
- 2005 - Tolkien Calendar (mini)
- 2006 - Tolkien Calendar.
Awards
- 1992 - World Fantasy Award, Best Artist (Tim Hildebrandt).
See also
External links
- Official Website
- spiderwebart.com (Official online store)
- The Tim Hildebrandt Memorial
- Greg Hildebrandt: HVAtvcom Issue 4 on YouTube (video interview)
- Visualizing Middle-earth: An Interview with Greg Hildebrandt (Episode 131 of The Prancing Pony Podcast)
References
| Illustrators of official Tolkien calendars |
|---|
| Emily Austin (2023) · Pauline Baynes (1973, 1974, 2027) · Cor Blok (2011, 2012, 2027) · Jemima Catlin (2014) · Jenny Dolfen (2023) · Inger Edelfeldt (1985) · Mary Fairburn (2015) · Eric Fraser (2027) · Roger Garland (1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2027) · Spiros Gelekas (2023) · Justin Gerard (2023) · Donato Giancola (2023) · Michael Hague (1986) · The Brothers Hildebrandt (1976 US, 1977 US, 1978 US) · John Howe (1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2013, 2021, 2025, 2027) · Tove Jansson (2016, 2027) · Michael Kaluta (1994) · Tim Kirk (1975) · Alan Lee (1987, 1993, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2026, 2027) · Ted Nasmith (1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2021, 2022, 2027) · Kip Rasmussen (2023) · Darrell Sweet (1982) · J.R.R. Tolkien (1973, 1974, 1976 UK, 1977 UK, 1978 UK, 1979, 2005, 2006, 2017, 2027) |