Anna Chromy
Anna Chromy | |
|---|---|
| File:Anna Chromy.jpg | |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Notable work | Cloak of Conscience, Olympic Spirit, Europe, Ulysses, Sisyphus |
| Awards | Premio Michelangelo |
Anna Chromy (born July 18, 1940 in Ceský Krumlov[1]) is a painter and sculptor. Born in Bohemia (Czech Republic), raised in Austria, living in France and working in Italy, she is considered by many the quintessential European.
At the end of World War II, Anna Chromy's family moved from Bohemia to Vienna, Austria. Her family did not have enough money for her to attend art school however, so only after she married and moved to Paris was it possible. She received her education at the École des Beaux-Arts and acquired a reputation for surrealistic world she depicted.
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'To be or not to be', 1982, 100cm x 100cm -
'Eternal Love', 1979, 90cm x 115cm -
'Ball in Venice', 1979, 45cm x 60cm -
'Clown', 1979, 95cm x 130cm
A life-threatening accident in 1992 delivered severe injuries to Anna Chromy and for eight years she was unable to paint. She turned her attention to sculpture using bronze and marble as her medium.
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'Olympic Spirit', 2004, 600cm
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'Sisyphus', 2003, 270cm
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'Ulysses', 2000, 200cm
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'Europe', 2004, 400cm
Studio
Anna Chromy has studios in Pietrasanta, Tuscany where she also has her bronze founderies, Fonderia Artistica Mariani and Massimo Del Chiaro. For her marble sculptures she works at the studio of Massimo Galleni in Pietrasanta. In Carrara, she sculpts at Studio Michelangelo of Franko Barattini.
Conscience Art
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The 15ft High Cloak of Conscience -
Cloak of Conscience weighs 70 tonnes -
Visitors can walk inside and feel the energy within -
The Cloak of Conscience close up
Chromy's best-known piece is the empty coat, known as The Cloak of Conscience, Piétà or Commendatore, located in Cathedral in Salzburg, Austria, Stavovske divadlo in Prague, National Archeological Museum in Athens and elsewhere. Currently, Chromy is transforming The Cloak into a chapel over four meters high, carved out of a block of white marble weighing 200 tons in the Cave Michelangelo in Carrara.
Other important works include the Olympic Spirit, to be placed in front of the new library in Shanghai; and Europe, a contemporary reinterpretation of the old myth, to be placed at the European institutions[2]. In 2009 her “Olivier d’Or” was presented by Albert II, Prince of Monaco to Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel. In 2008 she presented a model of The Cloak of Conscience to Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peters in Rome to mark the creation of the Conscience Institute[3].
Chromy draws inspiration from music, opera in particular; classic dance; and the ancient myths. Her paintings speak of an admiration for Salvador Dalí and other Surrealists, and contain references to the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism and other Central European artists. Her colours, sometimes used also on sculptures, have a subtle Turner-like touch.
Exhibitions
- Don Giovanni and the Sound of Bronze (2000) in Prague
- Il Canto di Orfeo (2004) Pietrasanta (Italy)
- Europe (2005) Place Vendôme, Paris
- Mythos Revisited (2007), National Archeological Museum, Athens
- Dream of the East (2009), Beijing, China
References
- ^ "Anna Chromy Biography". Sculpture and Paintings. Web Inclusion. 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ "Anna Chromy Public Sculptures". Sculpture Gallery. Web Inclusion. 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ "Anna Chromy Achievements and Awards". Sculpture Gallery. Web Inclusion. 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-09-09.