Chantal Montellier studied at Saint-Étienne school of fine arts from 1962 to 1969. Once she’d finished her studies, she spent a few years as a school art teacher. In 1989, she started giving lessons at Paris VIII. Since 1972 she’s been doing press illustrations for various publications such as Combat syndicaliste, Politis, Maintenant, Le Monde, L’Autre Journal, Marianne, etc. As a comic book artist, she contributes to Charlie Mensuel, Métal Hurlant, Ah! Nana and Psikopat.

Her realist style, often in black and white in her early years, is not far off that of Jaques Tardi, Munoz or even Crepax. She went through many ‘modernist’ graphic experimental phases (like Bazooka) before settling on a profoundly original esthetic.

Chantal Montellier is one of the rare comic book artists to have proclaimed (and continue to proclaim) her political and feminist engagement in her work. And it’s not always without consequence. Indeed, her invite to the Lausanne BDfil festival in 2007 was actually cancelled for fear that her presence might bother some of the other authors.

Her personal website serves as a platform for her autobiography, as well as a series of ‘erotic’ albums.