Félix Anaut (born

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, 1944) is a Spanish painter whose work is based in

Abstract Expressionism Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

and Figurative Monumentalism.

Education and background

Felix Anaut studied at the École de Montparnasse d’art et dessin in Paris in 1978–79, and has lived in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

. In 1986 he became a member of the Association of Irish Artists. Finally, after 20 years living in South West France, he moved his studio to Valencia in 2021. In 2005 Felix Anaut was listed by the Spanish national newspaper, '' El Mundo'', in their annual year review as one of the most influential personalities in the Arts, 2005–2006.

Exhibitions

He has exhibited widely since 1978 and has had many solo and group shows internationally in institutions, galleries and art fairs. Notable recent events have included exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Centre CAM in

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Gascon dialect, Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a communes of France, commune and capital of the Landes (department), Landes Departments of France, department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Milit ...

France; The James Wray Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK; The Barnard Gallery, Cape Town; The Zimmer Stewart Gallery, England, UK; BBK (

Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa (BBK) was a bank in Spain. On June 30, 2014, the General Assembly of BBK approved the transformation of the entity into a banking foundation, in accordance with the Law on Savings Banks and Banking Foundations. In Biscay, t ...

) Foundation, Bilbao; Caja Rural de Aragon Foundation,

; The Factory, Brussels; Galerie Brulée, Strasbourg; The Menier, with Zimmer Stewart Gallery, London.

Collections

Felix Anaut's work is held in numerous private and public collections worldwide, including

The British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

London;

Casoria Contemporary Art Museum Casoria Contemporary Art Museum is located in Casoria in the Province of Naples, Italy. In 2003 the comune approached Antonio Manfredi, a local artist and advocate of international contemporary art, as part of an initiative of local revitalizatio ...

, Naples;

The Ulster Museum The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures ...

, Northern Ireland;

Instituto Cervantes Instituto Cervantes (, the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important fi ...

(Dublin & Bordeaux); BBK (

) Foundation, Bilbao; Caja Rural de Aragon Foundation,

; Marzelles Museum, France; The Simonow Collection, France. In 2010 a comprehensive book, ''Felix Anaut, his life and work'' was published with text by the European art collector and author of several artists monographs, Michael Simonow. The book covers the artist's life to date, with accompanying photographs, approximately 120 colour plates of the artists work. In 2021, an agreement was reached with the town hall of

Moncrabeau Moncrabeau (; ) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. Moncrabeau is located on the Petite Baïse river, close to the D930. See also *Communes of the Lot-et-Garonne department The following is a list of the ...

, Lot et Garonne, in S.W. France, for the establishment of ECFA (Espace Culturelle Felix Anaut). An art and cultural centre with a large collection of works from the artist, due to open in 2024.

Visual music & Synaesthesia

A current theme of Anaut's work is his inspiration from Baroque music, interpreted by him onto canvas. Following his "London Symphony" exhibited in 2010 with Zimmer Stewart Gallery, Felix Anaut presented his "Zaragoza Visual Symphony" an exhibition of large paintings accompanied by music written by Gonzalo Alonso specifically for this event, in

in May 2011. The piece includes an aria written by Felix Anaut and which was sung by the international soprano

Marta Almajano Marta Almajano (Zaragoza) is a Spanish soprano.The gramophone: Volume 81, Issues 967-970 2003 "Much of the appeal lies in Zaragoza-born Marta Almajano's attractively dark, richly expressive and flexible soprano, which gives these varied songs depth ...

. The whole project was accompanied by a catalogue, CD recording and video. With a very innovative installation, the project was curated by Carlos Buil & Ricardo Marco, and sponsored by the Caja Rural de Aragon Foundation. Following this theme and Anaut's interest in the merging and crossing over of the arts, in 2016 an exhibition was held at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, hosted by the Zimmer Stewart Gallery, with a collaboration with the poet

Lemn Sissay Lemn Sissay FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British author and broadcaster. He was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, was chancellor of the University of Manchester from 2015 until 2022, and joined the Foundling Museum's board of trus ...

, who had visited the artist's studio in France in 2015. A video was also produced and shown titled "Synaesthesia", with both Felix Anaut & Lemn Sissay working in the studio, and the voice of

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...

reciting Sissay's poetry, and incorporating the musical composition from the Zaragoza Symphony by Gonzalo Alonso and the voice of soprano

Bibliography

Felix Anaut's work has been recorded in many publications, catalogues and books including: * Felix Anaut, Visual Music & Poetry, Zimmer Stewart Gallery at The Menier, London, 2016 * Félix Anaut dans la collection Simonow (Abstractions 2003-2013), Abbaye Flaran, France 2014 * Félix Anaut, Baroque Blue, 99 Mount Gallery, London, 2013 * Felix Anaut, At The Factory, Brussels, 2013 * “Melodias Vascas”, BBK & Ikeder, Bilbao, Spain, 2012 * “Felix Anaut”, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, 2011 * "Felix Anaut, His life & Work" by Michael Simonow, 2010 * "Zaragoza Symphony - Felix Anaut", Cajalón, Zaragoza, Spain, 2011 * "Genius Loci" College of Architects of Aragon, Cajalon and Zaragoza City Council, Zaragoza, Spain, 2009 * "No Hay Camino, Se Hace Camino Al Andar - Felix Anaut", France, 2006 * "100 Artists for a Museum" Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy, 2005 * "NU" Centre d’Art Contemporain Raymond Farbos, Mont de Marsan, France, 2005 * "Los Artistas, Picasso, Miró, Bacon, Anaut", ARTTANK, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2000 * "Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture, the Catalogue", Ulster Museum, Belfast, 2000

References

External links

Felix Anaut, main website
*

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

James Wray Gallery, Belfast

Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Zimmer Stewart Gallery, Arundel

The Simonow Collection, France

The Ulster Museum, Belfast

Instituto Cervantes

Contemporary Art Centre CAM in Mont de Marsan, France
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaut, Felix 20th-century Spanish painters Spanish abstract painters Abstract expressionist artists Living people 1944 births