- DPRESSE-2011.indd
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- 17/05/11 11:29
PRESS DOSSIER
"Mythes de la Méditerranée"
16 monumental sculptures by artist Anna Chromy
Exhibited in Saint-Tropez
From July 1st to October 10th, 2011,
c onta c t presse : va lérie penven – tel. +33 (0)6 11 93 96 37 – @ :va lerie@va leriepenven.c om
SUMMARY
Press Release Interview d'Anna Chromy
•••••••
Eurydic e Alc yon Europe Sisyphus Olympic Spirit Prometheus The C loa k of C onsc ienc e
Biography d'Anna Chromy
c onta c t presse : va lérie penven – tel. +33 (0)6 11 93 96 37 – @ :va lerie@va leriepenven.c om
"Mythes de la Méditerranée"
16 monumental sculptures by artist Anna Chromy
Exhibited in Saint-Tropez
From July 1st to October 10th, 2011, the Town of Saint-Tropez will play host in its most remarkable sites to sixteen monumental sculptures in bronze and Carrara marble by artist Anna Chromy.
of the c ontempora ry multi-c ultura l spirit. An a rtist of Bohemia n origin, Anna C hromy grew up in Austria , then moved to Pa ris where she fell in love with the C ity of Light. She now lives in Mona c o a nd works in her studio in Pietra sa nta in Ita ly. In C a rra ra , she is c urrently working on the "C loa k of C onsc ienc e", sc ulpted direc tly in the Mic ha ela ngelo ma rble qua rry, one of the la rgest ma rble sc ulptures ever produc ed sinc e those of Mic hela ngelo in a single bloc k a nd the first to be emptied from the inside, with the la rgest surfa c e a rea of ma rble ever c overed with subtle folds.
Following the huge suc c ess of her exhibitions in Pa ris, Pla c e Vendôme, in Athens, G reec e, then in Bejing in C hina , a rtist Anna C hromy ha s c hosen Sa intTropez in whic h to exhibit her "Myths of the Mediterra nea n", universa l themes revisited from the perspec tive of our c ontempora ry history undergoing fa r-rea c hing c ha nge.
Whether in ma rble or bronze, Anna C hromy's sc ulptures sha re one point in c ommon: a quest for esthetic ism a nd forma l bea uty. But beyond this self-evident ha rmony, the mea ning impa rted to her
As a preview, a sma ller version in bronze of the "Ma ntea u de la C onsc ienc e" will be exhibited this summer on the Pla c e de l'Ormea u in Sa int-Tropez, where the public will a lso be a ble to disc over : "Europe" in the ga rdens of the Annonc ia de ; "Ulysse" in front of the Tourist Offic e ; "Promethée" on Qua i Suffren opposite the sta tue of the Ba illi de Suffren ; "Olympic Spirit" on Pla c e G ra mmont ; "Sisyphe" on Qua i Ja urès fa c ing the resta ura nt L’Esc a le ; "La Musique des Fleuves" (a set of 5 sc ulptures) on the Pla c e de la G a ronne, "Alc yone" on the Qua i de la Pesquière (La Ponc he), "C hronos I" a nd "C hronos II" on the Pla c e des Rempa rts, a s well a s sma ll-forma t reproduc tions of la rge sc ulptures in the Fine Jewellery Art G a llery Fra nc esc a Dona on Rue de la Ponc he.
- sc ulptures ha s its own threa d
- of
powerfulness whic h c ha llenges the viewer. For the a rtist : "Bea uty a lone c a n a wa ken love, a nd it is this kind of energy tha t ma nkind needs toda y". This position whic h goes a ga inst the gra in of c urrent trends in c ontempora ry a rt is, in the c a se of Anna
- C hromy, fully a ssumed in
- a
- c la ssic
interpreta tion tha t sublima tes the forms of bodies in motion, free a nd strong. In c ombining the rigour of her C entra l Europea n origins with a pa ssion for G reek mythology a nd the opera , Anna C hromy ha s suc c eeded in c rea ting fa bulous sc ulptures whic h ta ke the observor a nd a rt-lover on a voya ge to the origins of Europe a nd the huma n being, from the c ra dle of Europea n c ulture to the bea uty
For a ll requests c onc erning photos a nd further informa tion, press c onta c t :
, Tel + 33 (0)6 11 93 96 37
Va lérie Penven, va lerie@va leriepenven.c om
Or via the website : www.a nna c hromy.c om Loc a l representa tive of the orga nizer of the exhibition "Mythes de la Méditerra née" : Fra nc esc a Dona
Interview d'Anna Chromy
Anna, you consider yourself European. So why have you selected the
dec ided to orga nize a show of c ontempora ry sc ulptures a nd it wa s met with a huge suc c ess.
What attracts you in particular in this
- mediterranean civilization?
- Mediterranean?
- Even if my roots a re
- Its bea uty, bea uty understood in the sense of
Kea ts (“Bea uty is Truth a nd Truth is Bea uty”). This ha s bec ome the c redo of my c rea tion, a nd the a da pta tion a nd interpreta tion of the G rec oRoma n Myths for our modern times ha s bec ome my pa ssion. Artists ha ve a t a ll times dra wn on the c ontent of Myths, bec a use they a ssoc ia te emotion a nd memory with the intellec t. It’s this c ombina tion whic h helps the observer to understa nd a work. Mythology ha s c rea ted the themes whic h la ter ha ve been developed by litera ture, mora ls, sc ienc e, fine a rts, movies, a nd the huma n soc iety in genera l.
- c entra l Europea n,
- I
- ha d
- the
- good
fortune to spend a ll my a dult life on the
- shores
- of
- the
Mediterra nea n between Fra nc e a nd Ita ly. Ma ny of my pa intings a nd dra wings a re born here a nd the sa me is true for a ll my sc ulptures. It c omes therefore not a s a surprise tha t the themes of my works ha ve been strongly influenc ed by this c radle of the ma jor c iviliza tions a nd religions of the world, this a c c umula tion of inc redible a rtistic trea sures, a nd a na ture a nd people who I have c ome to understa nd a nd a pprec ia te over the yea rs.
She a llows us to sha re the exa lta tion of c oura ge, this c la ssic a l “virtu” whic h c ontinues to fa shion the Western c onsc ienc e. For Aristotle bea uty is the a n a c c omplished idea l: she is meta physic a l a nd revea ls herself nevertheless to ma n a nd the world through “a rmonia ”,whic h is the sourc e of felic ity. The redisc overy of this Ha rmony ha s bec ome impera tively nec essa ry for toda y’s soc ieties. It is signific a nt tha t a gra nd c ountry like C hina ha s ma de ha rmony a nd felic ity the prime a spira tions of its development.
Ma ny of my sc ulptures a dorn selec ted loc a tions on a perimeter whic h rea c hes from Mona c o to Menton a nd Roquebrune-C a p Ma rtin, from Portofino a nd Pietra sa nta /Forte dei Ma rmi to Pisa a nd Florenc e, a nd the Va tic a n. I ha ve a lso c rea ted severa l works spec ific a lly for ac tivities a round the Mediterra nea n, suc h a s the “G olden Olive Tree” for Pa x Medic a lis, whic h unites C hristia n, Jewish a nd Muslim doc tors in a n a ssoc ia tion for pea c e, or the “G olden Ea gle” for the Assoc ia tion Albert II.
Why have you chosen Saint-Tropez to show your works?
Apart from those permanent installations you mentioned, i presume you have had other expositions in the south?
I defend in my c rea tions, a ga inst a ll tempora ry fa shions, the huma nist idea l whic h c onsiders bea uty a s the sourc e of na tura l ha rmony. But it is a lso a return of Myth, a s enc ha ntment of a time when the G ods (a nd Ma n) still knew how to enjoy ha ppiness. The ha rbour, the c ity a nd the peninsula , with its preserved na ture, its
Yes, I ha ve ta ken pa rt in a la rge number of c ollec tive exhibitions a ll over Ita ly a nd a lso some individua l ones. I would like to give here only two exa mples: Severa l yea rs a go I pa rtic ipa ted in a sc ulpture exhibition in Ostia , the port of Rome, with the title “La Belezza venuta da l Ma re”. It wa s a c c ompa nied by a very instruc tive semina r on bea uty, the bea uty of the Mediterra nea n. A few yea rs la ter, in 2007, the Na tiona l Arc heologic al Museum in Athens honored me with a n exposition of my sc ulptures titled “Mythos Revisited”. It wa s the first time in its history tha t this Museum-Trea sure of the Antique
- c onstruc tions on
- a
- huma n level, a nd its
founding myths, c onstitute a n idea l setting for my works.
I’m therefore tha nkful to the Ma yor of the c ity a nd his Munic ipal C ounc il to give me the oc c a sion to fa milia rize the ma ny friends of this privileged c orner of the Mediterra nea n with my c ontempora ry interpreta tion of this a nc ient c iviliza tion.
Recent works
Eurydice
Bea uty is eterna l, it never dies, it only ta kes on new forms. The ha rmony of Eurydic e’s body ec hoes endlessly in the instrument a nd song of Orpheus. Eurydic e’s ultima te gesture of love is this meta morphosis of her body into a c ello to ena ble Orpheus to c ontinue his song. The objec t of his love thus bec omes the subjec t of his music . The pa in for the loss of his beloved gives the song of Orpheus superna tura l stra ins tha t ta me wild bea sts, soften the gods a nd touc h the soul of every huma n being.
Metamorphosis d’Eurydice, Hôtel Byblos Sculpture en marbre blanc de Carrara Année : 2004 Dimensions de la sculpture: H180 x L50 x P220 cm Poids de la sculpture : 1200kg
Alcyon
"In this world I a m a drop of wa ter seeking a nother drop in the oc ea n; I plunge to find my c ompa nion a nd dissolve in my quest". I got my inspira tion for the Alc yon through the observa tion of the a c roba tic flights of the sea gulls in front of my window out on the Mediterra nea n. Wha t elega nc e, wha t lightness, wha t freedom a nd effortlessness – a lesson for us poor two-legged c rea tures. Yea r a fter yea r I see the sa me c ouples build their nest a nd ra ise their off springs. My Alc yon is the symbol of this fidelity a nd a bnega tion by risking her life for her c ompa nion. The libera ting effec t of this sa c rific e gives her the wings for her sa lva tion a nd of her c ompa ssion towa rds others.
Alcyon, jetée de la Ponche Sculpture en bronze Year 2004 Dimensions de la sculpture: H400 x L250 x P150 cm Weight : 1200kg
Europe
"Suddenly, the vortex of a n a noma lous wa ve rises, a rea l Tsuna mi of blistering whiteness, hurling high in the a ir the body of a young woma n". This is the ima ge the ma rble of C a rra ra offers to Zeus in my “Ra pe of Europe”. The king of the gods no longer a ssumes the seduc tive sembla nc e of a meek young bull, but bec omes a huge bursting tide. Instea d of the sma ll ha nd-c a rved horns of Ovid’s ta le, “more tra nspa rent tha n a pure gem”, there is a c rysta l globe: a n immense eye, the eye of c onsc ienc e. Europe is painfully braving the surging wa ves. The bronze, youthful surfer-like figure, skillfully bends sidewa ys in her bid to rea c h the shore, a lmost da nc ing on the c rest of the wa ve. The first impa c t suggests c oura ge. Its sweetness revea ls the enigma tha t ha s tormented the c onsc ienc e of ma n for thousa nds of yea rs, - c a n the energy of a smile ba la nc e blind strength? C a n bea uty a nd a pea c eful protest c ontra st the delirium of power?
