Brian Meunier

"Philadelphia area artist Brian Meunier creates clay sculptures that join recognizable objects in unexpected combinations. Often vertical in stature, the sculptures typically feature elements stacked atop one another such as two large hornets standing on an Ionic columnar base or a tortoise carrying an antiquated tank-like submersible on its shell. It’s as if Meunier is tinkering with nature, re-creating and transforming animals into evocative mythical creatures that are part nature and part man-made. The pairings are whimsical although mysterious, surreal, and unexplainable in their origin. Meunier’s sculptures are a journey of the imagination and aptly titled after a 13th-century cosmography written by the Persian physician Qazwini. It is this sense of wonderment and reverie for all things considered that inspire Meunier’s artwork as well as create an engaging experience for the viewer."

"Brian Meunier received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1976) and a Master of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia (1978). He has been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1984) and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (1983 and 1989) in addition to several aculty grants from Swarthmore College."

Leah Douglas Director of Exhibitions Philadelphia International Airport

"Meunier’s strength is that he expresses considerable respect for sculptural tradition in a light-hearted, contemporary way. His aesthetic is postmodern in the best sense- humanistic, gently whimsical and referential to the natural world without being imitative of it…These are not dry formalist statements; they practically hum with life."

Edward J. Sozanski, Art Critic, Philadelphia Inquirer