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Willy Anthoons BIOGRAPHY
1911 - 1982. Known for: Abstraction.
At the age of three, Willy Anthoons fled to London with his grandmother and remained there until the end of the war. After the reunion of the Anthoons’ family (his father was held prisoner by the... Read full biography
At the age of three, Willy Anthoons fled to London with his grandmother and remained there until the end of the war. After the reunion of the Anthoons’ family (his father was held prisoner by the Germans in Holland), they settled in Brussels. Anthoons followed lessons at the Higher Institute for... Read full biography
At the age of three, Willy Anthoons fled to London with his grandmother and remained there until the end of the war. After the reunion of the Anthoons’ family (his father was held prisoner by the Germans in Holland), they settled in Brussels. Anthoons followed lessons at the Higher Institute for Decorative Arts, with Oscar Jespers, among others. In 1940, he is mobilised, but became gravely ill. The army sent him to the Ardèche in order to recover there. During this period Anthoons began... Read full biography
At the age of three, Willy Anthoons fled to London with his grandmother and remained there until the end of the war. After the reunion of the Anthoons’ family (his father was held prisoner by the Germans in Holland), they settled in Brussels. Anthoons followed lessons at the Higher Institute for Decorative Arts, with Oscar Jespers, among others. In 1940, he is mobilised, but became gravely ill. The army sent him to the Ardèche in order to recover there. During this period Anthoons began sculpting and painting. After his return to Belgium, he joined up with a few artists that were refused by the official Salon des Beaux-Arts (because of their non-figurative work). In 1945, along with Pierre Alechinsky and Pol Bury, Anthoons united himself... Read full biography
At the age of three, Willy Anthoons fled to London with his grandmother and remained there until the end of the war. After the reunion of the Anthoons’ family (his father was held prisoner by the Germans in Holland), they settled in Brussels. Anthoons followed lessons at the Higher Institute for Decorative Arts, with Oscar Jespers, among others. In 1940, he is mobilised, but became gravely ill. The army sent him to the Ardèche in order to recover there. During this period Anthoons began sculpting and painting. After his return to Belgium, he joined up with a few artists that were refused by the official Salon des Beaux-Arts (because of their non-figurative work). In 1945, along with Pierre Alechinsky and Pol Bury, Anthoons united himself with the recently established group La Jeune Peinture Belge (René Lust and Robert Delevoy), which endeavours to promote young avant-garde a... Read full biography
Artist Biography
Biography page for Willy Anthoons ((1911 - 1982)), known for Abstraction. Showing 2 biographical entries and 0 sample artworks.
Willy Anthoons - Artist Info
About Willy Anthoons
Biography from the Archives of askART
At the age of three, Willy Anthoons fled to London with his grandmother and remained there until the end of the war. After the reunion of the Anthoons’ family (his father was held prisoner by the Germans in Holland), they settled in Brussels. Anthoons followed lessons at the Higher Institute for Decorative Arts, with Oscar Jespers, among others. In 1940, he is mobilised, but became gravely ill.The army sent him to the Ardèche in order to recover there. During this period Anthoons began sculpting and painting. After his return to Belgium, he joined up with a few artists that were refused by the official Salon des Beaux-Arts (because of their non-figurative work). In 1945, along with Pierre Alechinsky and Pol Bury, Anthoons united himself with the recently established group La Jeune Peinture Belge (René Lust and Robert Delevoy), which endeavours to promote young avant-garde artists for exhibitions, both in Belgium and abroad. James Ensor was the honorary president.The association organised group exhibitions in Paris, The Hague, Stockholm, Zurich and Bordeaux. With the death of the founder René Lust in 1948, the group La Jeune Peinture Belge became defunct. In that same year, he settled in Paris. He befriends Michel Seuphor, the sculptors Émile Gilioli, Morice Lipsi, Sesostris Vitullo, Jean Arp, Berto Lardera, Nicolas Schöffer and Etienne Hajdu.
He exhibited work in various ‘salons’ such as the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and the Salon de Mai. He also maintained contact with painters such as Gaston Bertrand, Luc Peire, Pierre Alechinsky and Alfred Manessier. A neurological illness afflicted his motor skills so that the sculptor gradually stopped with his creative work from 1977 onwards.Source:House of Literature, AntwerpBiography from Daguerre
Belgian sculptor Willy Anthoons trained with Oscar Jespers and Ossip Zadkine. The influence of his masters can be seen in his direct-cut sculptures in precious woods such as ebony.
An avant-garde artist, he is the only sculptor in the Jeune Peinture belge association, and exhibits at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, the Salon de Mai and the Salon de la sculpture abstraite.
He made friends with other artists such as Henri Laurens, Jean Arp and Alexander Calder.