William Girard
June 8, 1940 - February 5, 2011
Bill Girard circa 1981
Professor of Art William Girard may be destined to be one of the greatest unknown fine artists ever to be born and die in metro Detroit.
Bill never wanted for buyers. They lined up to obtain his work. Galleries weren't his thing. Oh sure, he exhibited from time to time. But given the repressive nature of the art market and the confounding attitudes and behaviors of the art sales professionals who passed as experts, Bill largely eschewed the traditional art market.
So Bill is largely unknown ... except to afficianados, friends, former students and art enthusiasts of exceptional taste and insight.
Now the first generation of Bill's collectors, too, are passing on. His work is slowly, and largely for the first time, finding its way to market via estate sales and auction houses. What will be its reception?
I can't say with certainty. I do know that the single largest collection of Girards I know of - the Abramson collection, in Farmington Hills, Michigan - was sold over a several month period in 2016, via an estate sale. No auction house would accept the work.
A few of those fortunate enough to obtain some of the work thus released have begun to seek opportunities to increase awareness of Girard's work.
They - we - believe that the very soul of the art spirit inhabits nearly every oil painting, drawing, bronze, terra cotta, watercolor and sketch that Girard produced. Some pieces shine brighter than others. But individually and as a whole, his body of work retains its ability to spell bind.
The examples captured in these website pages are only a small portion of the astonishingly lovely gift that Bill left us all.
During much of his own lifetime, Bill was held to be slavish adherent of styles clearly archaic. Lesser practitioners failed to see that this entirely self-taught student of the masters had redefined their strictures and their story lines for his own purposes. Oh sure, he borrowed from the Etruscans, the Egyptians, the Italian Renaissance, the Preraphaelites and the abstract expressionists, but even so, a Bill Girard is nearly always a thing apart.
He was a much loved - and just as frequently reviled - Professor of Art at the Center for Creative Studies (now the College for Creative Studies) in Detroit, Michigan, where he taught for 30 years.
Bill swam against the art world tide. An autodidact with all of one semester's worth of post-secondary education, he simply refused to abandon his particular star, regardless of the riptides of trend and fashion that, for a time, attempted to smother all figurative artistry as meaningless.
He taught himself the techniques of past masters in oil, egg tempera, terra cotta, clay, wax, buon fresco and fresco secco. But he mixed those processes with a unique sense of rhythm and humor. Ultimately he produced objects that many of his collectors treasure as heirloom art. He shared his knowledge freely and gladly with any who cared to ask or listen.
Bill was a most unlikely master, humble as the earth he turned into sculpture or paintings and just as full of goodness and (artistic) nutrition. Yet, to some, his artwork seems literally magical.
Perhaps, with a bit of luck, Bill's oeuvre will become more widely available and appreciated. Multiple pieces of his work are shown or mentioned in the Autumn 2010 issue of the Detroit Home magazine article "Made to Treasure" by George Bulanda (pages 10 -12).
Meanwhile, the images shown here are just a poor first attempt to help an unpretentious master find a larger audience.
Should you have any work by William Girard, or personal insights about the artist, you are invited to share them with us, a small group of dedicated friends, collectors and admirers of the artist. Please contact gsmnem@gmail.com and enter William Girard on the subject line. 
Bill Girard and Glenn Michaels circa 2003 The images appearing here have been gathered from a variety of sources. The primary media are oil paint (paintings), terra cotta and bronze (sculpture), pen and pencil.
For more information about William Girard, see:
As time and opportunity allow, more information about the work and life of artist William Girard will be made available.
Bill Girard, with Mollie, at home. (Lilly Bell is hiding under the covers of Bill's bed on the second floor.) Circa 11/2009.
| |  | | | The Troll King's Daughter
Artist: William Girard
Formerly the collection of Allen Abramson
Photo courtesy of Ken Weikal, Farmington Hills, MI. | | Eve (oil painting) / Avenging Angel (center bronze) / Pied Piper (right bronze)
Artist: William Girard
Note: The two bronzes (center and right) are shown separately elsewhere on this site: http://sitekreator.com/gsmichaels/the-sculpture-of-william-girard.html. Eve (37 5/8 x 23 3/8 inches. Oil painting) is discussed further on page 7 of this section. | | | | | Medallion in center panel of small triptych
Artist: William Girard
Photo courtesy of Ken Weikal, Farmington Hills, MI | | Small Triptych
Mixed Media
Artist: William Girard
Date: Unknown
Photo courtesy of Ken Weikal, Farmington Hills, MI | | | | | Jesus
Artist: William Girard | | Title: Unknown
Oil painting
Artist: William Girard
Formerly collection of Allen Abramson
Photo courtesy of Ken Weikal, Farmington Hills, MI | | | | | Narcissus
Artist: William Girard
Oil on canvas in cropped frame | | David and Bathesheba
Artist: William Girard | | | | | Untitled (Still Kicking.)
Artist: William Girard
@ 4 x 6 in. Ink on Paper
| | The Judgment of Paris. Pencil on paper. 10.7” x 8.3"
Artist: William Girard
Of the many versions I've seen, this is the funniest. Paris of Troy, a shepherd, must choose the loveliest of three goddesses from Mt. Olympus, completing for a golden apple addressed to "the fairest" (by the goddess of discord, Eris.) Poor guy!
There is a hidden irony here for those familiar with the role played by Aris K., the former head of the Painting Department and later chair of the Fine Arts Department, at the institution where the artist taught for 30 years.
A written comment about the artist, by Aris, appears in the William Girard: Comments About... page | | | | | Clearly inspired by Duke Ellington's, "A Drum is a Woman." Girard painted a number of images based on this piece. According to the current owner, the figure of "Carribee Joe" is nearly a silhouette. However, facial features are clearly discernable, though in very low contrast. Currently held in a private collection in Florida. Purchased from Fiorini Gallery & Frame, St. Petersburg, FL., circa 2005. | | Dawn in the Ravine
Artist: William Girard | | | | | Judy in the Stars.
Artist: William Girard
Oil painting 1975
"Judy" is based on former Center for Creative Studies model, Judy Kunesh. She eventually took up painting, too, and became a fine, if ignored, artist. She used one particularly impressive piece of hers to seal a broken window in her Detroit apartment. More information about this painting and about the model can be found on the Musings page of this site. A self-portrait by Judy, in my possession, appears on the Artifacts page. (Click the painting to view the self-portrait.) As is immediately clear, Judy's self-image was not that of William Girard.
Note that Girard painted a small portrait of Judy, as well. A lovely image, it hung in his living room up until his death. | | Title: The Chinoiserie Musician (1978)
Artist: William Girard
Oil painting.
Girard comments recorded by Michael
Curtis, "“I am happy to say that I like this painting; it is a good painting.” “This painting began by playing with the paint and the paint told me where it was going; he began to tell me who he was by the lines in blue willow china, and then he appeared. Afterwards, he was intentionally chinoiserie. He is in no way Asian; rather, he is the Chinese that exists in the 18th Century European mind. I guess that makes me an old-fashioned boy.”
| | | | |  |
Title: VENUS OF CHELM (1972)
Media: Oil paint on board 28" x 34"
Artist: William Girard
Originally collection of Allen Abramson (aa 224)
Photo courtesy of Ken Weikal, Farmington Hills, MI.
According to Allen Abramson, Girard read and was a huge fan of the Yiddish writer, Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916). The influence of Jewish humor and literature is evident in several other pieces by Girard. Abramson constantly used Jewish humor in his conversations with me. Chelm, a real town in Poland, had a second, literary life whose Jewish populace was comprised of 'wise fools."
According to Michael Curtis, “Allen Abramson (AA) would often entertain lavishly. On one such occasion, AA recalled episodes from “The Wise people of Chelm” by Jewish playwright Shoelm Alechim. After some back-and-forth, Bill imagined what a Venus of Chelm might look like.
The story of Chelm, in brief: An angel of God was sent to distribute souls around the world. She carried two bags. One bag held wise souls, the other held foolish souls. When flying over Chelm, the bag holding foolish souls caught on the top branch of a tree, tearing the bag and spilling the foolish souls on the village of Chelm.
The title “The Venus of Chelm” was translated into Hebrew By Molly Adler who also recommended the store from which the stencils used in the title were purchased.
This monochromatic painting was made in grisaille employing only four colors.”
| | Reclining Figure (sketch).
Pen and ink.
Artist: William Girard | | | |
