Brian Merrett
Encyclopedia
Brian Merrett is a Montreal-based fine-arts, architectural and travel photographer.(9 November 1973). Pictures of Life and Imagination, Montreal Gazette(19 January 1980). Photographer enjoying a low-keyed image, Montreal Gazette
He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick
in the Canadian Maritimes
, in 1945 and has lived in the Montreal area since. After apprenticeship in the mid '60s as an engineering and architectural draftsman, he photographed industrial installations for his employer while pursuing correspondence studies in photography. He also began photographing in the documentary idiom of the time.
In the late ‘60s Merrett apprenticed with Lennart Koraen, owner of a small commercial studio and began his photographic career. Influenced by both his father, John Campbell Merrett
, an architect and town planner, and his father-in-law, John Russell Harper
, an art historian, in 1969 he was commissioned to document the restoration of the 19th-century Head Office of the Bank of Montreal
and, consecutively found contract employment with the National Gallery of Canada
. From 1983 to 2001 Merrett was the senior staff photographer at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
and he continues to do contract fine-art reproduction there and within the arts community.
Merrett's work with environmental and urban groups such as STOP and Héritage Montreal (on whose board he served from 1975 to 1980) led to a number of photographic essays and publications. In 1986 and 1990 Merrett co-authored two books on Montreal architecture with architectural historian François Rémillard. The second, Montreal Architecture, A Guide to Styles and Buildings, was re-launched in the fall of 2007 and it reached the non-fiction best-seller lists in Montreal the following spring.
Merrett has held numerous exhibitions of his travel photography and his image essays dealing with the relationship of ecology and theology.
He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
in the Canadian Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
, in 1945 and has lived in the Montreal area since. After apprenticeship in the mid '60s as an engineering and architectural draftsman, he photographed industrial installations for his employer while pursuing correspondence studies in photography. He also began photographing in the documentary idiom of the time.
In the late ‘60s Merrett apprenticed with Lennart Koraen, owner of a small commercial studio and began his photographic career. Influenced by both his father, John Campbell Merrett
John Campbell Merrett
John Campbell Merrett , was a Canadian architect whose most noteworthy work was the concept and design of Montreal’s Central Station.-Early life:...
, an architect and town planner, and his father-in-law, John Russell Harper
John Russell Harper
John Russell Harper, OC, FRSC was an eminent Canadian art historian who is considered to have pioneered the field of art history in Canada....
, an art historian, in 1969 he was commissioned to document the restoration of the 19th-century Head Office of the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
and, consecutively found contract employment with the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
. From 1983 to 2001 Merrett was the senior staff photographer at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
and he continues to do contract fine-art reproduction there and within the arts community.
Merrett's work with environmental and urban groups such as STOP and Héritage Montreal (on whose board he served from 1975 to 1980) led to a number of photographic essays and publications. In 1986 and 1990 Merrett co-authored two books on Montreal architecture with architectural historian François Rémillard. The second, Montreal Architecture, A Guide to Styles and Buildings, was re-launched in the fall of 2007 and it reached the non-fiction best-seller lists in Montreal the following spring.
Merrett has held numerous exhibitions of his travel photography and his image essays dealing with the relationship of ecology and theology.