JĂŒri Mildeberg

JĂŒri Mildeberg (1965) is an illustrator, painter, and graphic artist. He has illustrated over a dozen children’s books and has collaborated with several magazines. Mildeberg painted the shutters in the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre in 2008, and has worked on video clips for Estonian Public Broadcasting. His works have been described as warm, kind, humorous, and riddled with mystery. At the same time, his style is also powerful and expressive. The artist has created his own mythical artistic world ruled by limitless fantasy. Mildeberg’s works can be found in the art collections of the National Library of Estonia and the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, as well as in private collections around the world. Every year, his solo exhibitions travel to far-flung places ranging from Finland to Japan. Mildeberg is on the directors’ board of the Estonian Graphic Designers’ Association, a member of the Estonian Section of IBBY, and a member of the Estonian Artists' Association.

My father was friends with a lot of craftsmen: metalworkers and locksmiths and all kinds of other wonderful artisans. Because of that, I knew since I was just a little boy that I had to become a craftsman, too! Of course, I didn’t know what kind of craftsman that would be. And I suppose I’m not entirely sure yet, either. But I’ve always liked books, and becoming an illustrator has been a gradual process: one incidental opportunity has followed another, and so forth. In the end, you’re an illustrator before you even know it!

Profile photo: Piia Ruber

Bibliography

Storybook

2016

Tammybooth

2011

Bad Advice

2006

Translations

Awards

2016
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Anti Saar. Storybook)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit (Anti Saar. Storybook)

2011
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Mihkel Ulman. The Tale of a Prince Who Lost His Face)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, 2 Certificates of Merit (Edgar Valter. Tall Tales of Traphead, JĂŒri Mildeberg. Putkamissu)

2010
Raisin of the Year Award (Aino Pervik. In an Odd Little Town)

2009
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Special prize of the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre (The Golden Book of Estonian Fairy Tales)

2008
IBBY Honour List (Hush-a-By Baby! Bedtime Stories by Estonian Fathers)
Raisin of the Year Award (Once Upon a Time
)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Special prize of Estonian Graphic Designers’ Union (Once Upon a Time
), Special prize of The Estonian Children’s Literature Centre (F. R. Kreutzwald. Lopi and Lapi)

2007
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (August Jakobson. Estonian Fairy Tales)

2006
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, 2 Certificates of Merit (Mihkel Ulman. Puppet Theater, The Big Book of Fable)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, 2 Certificates of Merit (Mihkel Ulman. Puppet Theater, Grigori Oster. Bad Advice)

2005
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Hush-a-By Baby! Bedtime Stories by Estonian Fathers)
2005 5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit (Hush-a-By Baby! Bedtime Stories by Estonian Fathers)
Raisin of the Year Award (Hush-a-By Baby! Bedtime Stories by Estonian Fathers)

2003
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Diploma
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Estonian Children’s Literature Centre prize for best original illustration by an Estonian artist

1999
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Teppo Vuoristo. Hempa – Korkeasaari gorilla)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit (Teppo Vuoristo. Hempa – Korkeasaari gorilla)

Exhibitions

Mildeberg’s works have been displayed in a multitude of exhibitions around the world. To date, he has had 47 solo exhibitions in countries including Estonia, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, Japan, and France.

Selected exhibitions:
2020
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Estonia
Group exhibition of Estonian artists „Secret Lives III”, Warsaw, PƂock, Poland
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Leafing Through Estonian Children’s Books III”, Moscow, Russia

2019
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB), Slovakia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “From the Mountains to the Sea”, Kraków, Rabka-Zdrój,
Elbląg, Poland

2018–2020
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators “Running with Wolves”, London, the United
Kingdom; Estonian Children’s Literature Centre (“Wolf Run”), Tallinn; GdaƄsk, WrocƂaw,
BiaƂystok, Warsaw, PƂock, Szczecin, Poland; Pordenone, Italy; Vilnius, Lithuania

2018–2019
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Running with Wolves”, Estonian Children’s
Literature Centre, Tallinn; selected works, Pskov, St. Petersburg, Russia

2017
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB), Slovakia

2016
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
Exhibiton of Estonian illustrators “Neighbours Who Love Reading”, Pskov City Library, Russia

2016–2018
Group exhibition of Estonian artists „Secret Lives I”, hotel Sofitel in Strasbourg, Embassy of Estonia in Paris, France

2015–2020
International illustration exhibition, “It’s Always Tea-Time”, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Riga, Latvia; Uusikaupunki, Finland; Gdansk, WrocƂaw, ToruƄ, Elbląg, Poland; Berlin, Germany; Szczecin, PƂock, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; Oxford, the United Kingdom; Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Vyborg, St. Petesburg, Russia

2015–2019
Exhibition of Estonian Illustrators, “Once Upon a Time...” (Grimm’s Fairy Tales),
Aosta, Anagni, Lagonegro, Bernalda-Metaponto, Corato, Matera, Roma, Lacco Ameno,
Irsina, Siracusa, Sassari, Roma, Bologna, Italy; Estonian Children’s Literature Centre,
Tallinn; Minsk, Belarus; KrakĂłw, ƁomĆŒa, BiaƂystok, Szczecin, PƂock, Warszaw, Elbląg,
GdaƄsk, Opole, Poland

2014–2017
“Tallinn Illustration Triennial 2013. Estonian Illustrators”, Estonia, Poland

2013–2015
Exhibition by Estonian and Hungarian Illustrators, “Crisscross Stories”, Estonia, Hungary, the United Kingdom

2013
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB), Slovakia
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Estonia
Travelling exhibition of Estonian illustration, “EtelĂ€stĂ€ tuulee – LĂ”unatuul puhub” (The South Wind Blows), Finland

2012–2013
Exhibition by Estonian illustrators, “Old Fairy Tales” (Brothers Grimm), Estonia, Russia

2012
Group exhibition „Four Is Better than Three”, Estonia, Finland

2011–2018
Exhibition of artists from the Baltic Sea countries, “Sea Fairy Tales”, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Estonia

2010–2011
Travelling Exhibition of Estonian Book Illustration, Russia, Finland

About the author

Mildebergius (galleria bronda, Finnish)

Contact info