From Paris to Birmingham – Milan Topalovic revives Art Deco glamour
One of Birmingham’s most beloved artists, Milan Topalovic celebrates the city’s past and present, often evoking the Art Deco glamour of the 1920s. Birmingham has a fascinating industrial past and some great Art Deco architecture, which is a big influence on Milan’s work. Originating in Paris in the 1920s as a successor to the earlier Art Nouveau movement, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour and technological progress. It influenced everything from buildings and furniture, to fashion, trains and ocean liners.
Milan grew up in the chocolate-box village of Bournville, which has been another big influence on his work. Founded in 1900 by the Quaker Cadbury family for employees at its chocolate factory, Bournville was designed to be a ‘garden’ or ‘model’ village which would alleviate ‘the evils of modern, more cramped living conditions’. Bournville’s charming Arts and Crafts style houses became a blueprint for many other model village estates around Britain.
Milan’s work highlights the best Birmingham has to offer, with his beautiful illustrations of Edgbaston Reservoir, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Chinatown and many more. He has also been involved in lots of public art projects and held workshops at local organisations such as Selfridges, Resorts World and the Midland Arts Centre (MAC). He has applied his versatile style to murals, greeting cards, stationery and packaging – designing artwork for musicians and bands including Florence + the Machine.
I might be biased having grown up in Brum, but Milan’s work has got me packing for a trip to the second city!
You studied Visual Arts and then Illustration at Birmingham City University. Had you always dreamed of becoming an artist?
Art and illustration has always been a massive part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are drawing my own Spiderman comics as a 90s kid and keeping them in plastic sleeves together in a ring binder with weekly Batman comics my parents would buy me. I recently found that little ring binder 25 years later and all the perfectly preserved drawings reminds me that, before I knew it, drawing was precious to me as it offered a world where I could add new episodes and illustrate new characters. I have been lucky to be able to continue drawing ever since!
Your work often has a nostalgic, Art Deco feel – which artists or movements have inspired your style over the years?
The type of illustration I do now is an accumulation of so many different styles. I have always loved Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha, and this inspired the stylised hair I would incorporate into my portraiture. Art Deco (originating in Paris, a massive inspiration of mine) and 50s travel posters for their incredible, sophisticated colour palettes are more recent inspirations. I love the glamour of 80s pop and film which has also inspired pastel colours which I use in my illustration.
Many of your projects have been focused on the city you live in – Birmingham. What is it about the city that you find so inspirational?
A lot of it is nostalgia, as I have a lot of good memories (first gigs, graduation, great art projects) which has inspired me to carve a collection of Birmingham illustrations celebrating the best of our city. Birmingham is often seen as the second city with very much a lower case ‘s’, yet there is so much history and has a massive independent scene which is great for artists and makers.
You have worked on so many different projects, from murals to vinyl art and greeting cards – which have been your favourites so far?
Working with Wild in Art for The Big Hoot and The Big Sleuth in particular have given me so many wonderful opportunities to run school workshops and work collaboratively with children, inspiring them to get the spark that gave me so much confidence through drawing. Producing a large window display in Great Western Arcade alongside Birmingham Children’s Hospital was extremely rewarding and led to a few more mural projects, including a 6-metre-wide mural at Resorts World, Birmingham, which I really enjoyed. Inventing a design worthy of such large-scale work was quite intimidating but it gave me an opportunity to grow as an illustrator by taking on a brand-new challenge. Winning a design competition which resulted in a limited-edition vinyl press of a single for Florence + the Machine (with Mucha-inspired hair, no less), with proceeds going to charity was wonderful.
Can you say anything about any current or upcoming projects?
Over lockdown I produced new illustrations in support of Guide Dogs and Cancer Research which is something I have been wanting to do for a long time. I have just completed an illustrated map which should be in print in June. I am working on Toronto and New York illustrations which will be available as art prints and next up is a 1980s themed Birmingham illustration chosen following an Instagram vote.
I grew up in Bournville so I often create illustrations based around the history of Cadbury. The model village design lends itself to my atmospheric style.
I would love to work on some product packaging and book covers, these are on my illustration wish list!
About the Artist
Milan Topalovic has a background that includes portraiture and short stories. The dreamlike charm of bygone eras colour his work. He has worked on large scale office murals and produces commercial merchandise, notably greeting cards and prints for independents and large companies.
He is also an educator, having lectured at Birmingham City University and he regularly teaches drawing workshops with adults. Milan also delivers children’s workshops at local art centres, museums and during city-wide art projects including music/literature festivals and arena events.
You can check out Milan’s work here:
milanillustrator.com
etsy.com/uk/shop/paperfables
instagram.com/milan.topalovic
Copyright: All pictures in this post are copyrighted Milan Topalovic. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
