Anna Chromy

Essentially, three regions of Europe influence Anna's imagination: Central Europe, where she grew up (born 18th July 1940 in Cesky Krumlov), Paris and the Côte d'Azur, and finally Tuscany, particularly Pietrasanta and the Riviera Versiliese.

The legacy of her youth between Salzburg and Vienna is primarily the influence of music, Mozart in particular. Only in 1989 was Anna allowed to see Prague again, when she put on her first exhibition of paintings on Czech soil. Since then she has been welcomed with open arms, notably for the great retrospective of her sculptures held in 2000 as part of the official programme put on by the city of Prague, cultural capital of Europe, then with her Fountain of Musicians and finally the Commendatore in front of the theatre where Mozart's Don Giovanni had its première in 1789.

In Paris Anna receives her artistic and cultural training. Having arrived at the end of 1968 after another student rebellion, Anna devotes herself to her studies to the Academy of Fine Arts, at the l'Académie de la Grande Chaumière and at the Sorbonne. What continues to make an impression on her is the artistic trends of the Left Bank as well as the philosophers, writers and singers of the time, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens and Léo Ferré. Albert Camus, whose Myth of Sisyphus she was to later reinterpret, opens up to her a new world, full of light, which is to be the essential inspiration for the second part of her life: the Mediterranean.

After the Côte d'Azur first of all, where numerous monuments between Nice and Menton bear witness to her activity as a sculptress, she settles in Tuscany in 1990 in her studio in Pietrasanta on the Riviera Versiliesa. This region of Michelangelo, which has seen the passage of the greatest sculptors of our time, of Henry Moore at Botero, has become Anna Chromy's third artistic home after Prague and Paris. Endowed with great studios of marble and renowned foundries of art, the Tuscans are crazy about sculpture and know better than anyone else how to recognize and appreciate true artists. Their admiration for masterpieces is both vast and touching. They knew how to shower Anna with honours, including such things as the Groupe l’Odyssée à Forte dei Marmi, and by erecting the statue entitled "Sisyphe 2004" in the Scuola Superiore di Sant'Anna in Pisa, the most prestigious university in the whole of Italy.

In 2005, the bicentenary of Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz, Anna Cromy with her works steeped in the European civilisation will mount a peaceful assault on the Place Vendôme, one of the most beautiful locations on the continent. Her bronzes, which will surround the cast Vendôme pillar made from the bronze of the canons of the defeated Austrian army, reminds us of the path taken by Europe since this time.

For her return to Paris, the City of Light, which she loves so much, Anna will bring a show full of light colour and music. A feast for all our senses.

Anna Chromy loves to develop a theme and transform it into a painting or a group of sculptures. To make herself better understood she has chosen figurative representation rather than abstract. With her perfect mastery of the Nude she expresses emotion in every fibre of the human body - and sometimes even in an empty cloak from which the body has already escaped.

Although she is a master in portraits she creates her thematic works without face. In this way she leaves ample room for imagination of the viewer and underlines the universality of the sculpture.
Her themes are rooted in memories that go back to the remote days of her infancy and who return in the form of dreams. The reflection of pink and mauve skies in the River Moldava, the baroque sculptures on Charles Bridge, marionette dancers moving to heavenly melodies and monsters made of clay like the "Golem" of Rabbi Loew.

History (of a site, an event, a person) and their transformation into a memorial, Greek Mythology (Sisyphos, Ulysses, Alcyon etc.), the Bible, opera, ballet and music in general, as well as the Baroque and its heroes (Don Juan, Faust, Harmlet etc.) provide Anna Chromy with the images for her conceptual creations. But it's not only the images it's also the way the Baroque dealt with sculpture that influenced her. In fact this was the only period in art's history when sculpture was used to stage a theme and became an integral part of architecture. No wonder that the geniuses of this period like Bernini and Borromini were sculptors and architects (just like some modern architects, as Frank O. Gehry, who create giant sculptures with their buildings). The straight line was abandoned, all was moving, flowing - just like in Anna Chromy´s sculptures today.

And if a name has it's significance Anna Chromy had to rediscover the ancient habit to paint a sculpture. The gold, violet and mauve tones of her works, already prevalent in Baroque, symbolize transcendency and a superior power and give a mystical and magical feeling to them.

For his 82nd birthday John Paul II received from the Archbishop of Salzburg "The Heart of the World". At the official ceremony in St. Peters Square Anna Chromy received the congratulations of the Holy Father for her work. To show his admiration the Holy Father decided to install the sculpture in the "Casa Apostolica", his private apartments (where there is only restricted access for visitors).

The inspiration of Anna Chromy for the "Heart of the World" comes from the infinite love of John Paul II for all mankind and the universal admiration of the youth of the world for this holy man. She therefore chose the theme of Ezechiel where we have to discard our hearts of stone in exchange of hearts of flesh to be able to love our next. The "Heart of the World" is only the last in a long series of works inspired by Anna Chromy´s religious believe, such as her Triptichen "The last Supper".

The artists studio is a very private secretive place where his creative ideas are transformed into visual, tangible objects. The mystery surrounding the creation auf a piece of art has for all times attracted the public to visit those magic places.

Thus in the Italy of Renaissance the atelier or studio was transformed into a "bottega", where the artist works with his assistants, exhibits his works and receives his clients. Many famous painters have also left us a visual representation of ther studio (Rembrandt, Goya, Friedrich, Courbet, Renoir, Picasso - to name just a few).

Pietrasanta has continued these "bottegas" from the times of Michelangelo until today, the reason why Anna Chromy and many other leading sculptors of our times have settled there.