It Isn't What You Think by Christopher Willard
You Might Not Know What It Means But At Least It's Neat by Christopher Willard
So Arty It's Almost Laughable by Christopher Willard

Christopher Willard

1960–present · American

Christopher Willard grew up in Vermont and trained at the Portland School of Art before completing further study at Hunter College in New York. Since then his practice has shifted between neo-op painting, conceptual installation, and writing, with colour theory as a running thread through the visual work.

Key facts

Born
1960, American[1]
Wikipedia
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Biography

Born in Bangor, Maine in 1960[1], Willard settled in Calgary, where he taught painting at the Alberta College of Art and Design for many years, eventually becoming head of the Painting department. His visual work has entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

He is also the founder of The Invisible Art Collective International, a project that examines questions of intangibility, immateriality, and value in contemporary practice. Alongside the studio and teaching work, Willard has produced fiction and criticism: his novels include Sundre and Garbage Head. The combination of visual and literary output is consistent with a broadly conceptual approach that treats art-making as a question to be answered from multiple directions rather than a single medium to be mastered.

Timeline

  1. 1960Born in Bangor, Maine.
  2. 1980Began training at the Portland School of Art, aged 20.
  3. 1984Completed further study at Hunter College in New York.
  4. 1984Began shifting his practice between neo-op painting, conceptual installation, and writing.
  5. 1984Colour theory became a consistent thread in his visual work.
  6. 1984Settled in Calgary.
  7. 1984Began teaching painting at the Alberta College of Art and Design.
  8. 1984Became head of the Painting department at the Alberta College of Art and Design.
  9. 1984His visual work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
  10. 1984Founded The Invisible Art Collective International.

Notable Works

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Christopher Willard known for?
    Christopher Willard is known for his visual art, which has entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is also the founder of The Invisible Art Collective International, a project that examines questions of intangibility, immateriality, and value in contemporary practice. Alongside his visual work, he has produced fiction and criticism, including the novels Sundre and Garbage Head.
  • Who was Christopher Willard?
    Christopher Willard is an artist born in Bangor, Maine, in 1960[1]. He trained at the Portland School of Art and Hunter College in New York. He taught painting at the Alberta College of Art and Design, eventually becoming head of the Painting department.
  • What was Christopher Willard's art style?
    Christopher Willard's practice has shifted between neo-op painting, conceptual installation, and writing. Colour theory is a running thread through his visual work. His combination of visual and literary output is consistent with a broadly conceptual approach that treats art-making as a question to be answered from multiple directions rather than a single medium to be mastered.
  • When was Christopher Willard born?
    Christopher Willard was born in 1960[1].

Sources

Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Christopher Willard.

  1. [1] wikipedia Wikipedia: Christopher Willard Used for: biography, birth dates, death dates, identifiers, movement attribution, nationality.
  2. [2] book guggenheim-19artistsemergen00solo Used for: biography.
  3. [3] book guggenheim-newhorizonsiname00denn Used for: biography.
  4. [4] book Patricia Emison;, Moving Pictures and Renaissance Art History Used for: biography.
  5. [5] book Patricia A Emison, Moving Pictures and Renaissance Art History (Film Culture in Transition) Used for: biography.
  6. [6] book Landauer, Susan, The not-so-still life : a century of California painting and sculpture Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-18. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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