Antonio Seguí

Antonio Seguí (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈtonjo seˈɣi]; b. January 11, 1934) is an Argentine cartoonist, painter, engraver, book illustrator and sculptor,[1] lives and works in Paris. Seguí's work is collected and exhibited worldwide in art institutions such as MoMA, Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art and Centre Georges Pompidou, among others.[2]

Antonio Seguí
Born (1934-01-11) January 11, 1934
Córdoba, Argentina
NationalityArgentine
Known forpainting, printmaking
AwardsInstituto Torcuato Di Tella Award (1989), Konex Platinum Award: Graphic (2002)

Biography

Seguí was born into a middle-class family in Córdoba, Argentina. The oldest son, he has three siblings. From 1951 to 1954 he traveled throughout Europe and Africa, and was visiting student at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid and at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, where he studied painting and sculpture.[2] After his return to Argentina, he became a member of the editorial staff of the journal Orientación, a Cordovan publication that supported the candidacy for the Presidency of Arturo Frondizi.[3]

In 1957 he had his first single solo exhibition in Argentina. He traveled through South and Central American countries and studied printmaking in Mexico. In 1961 he returned to his home country, and in 1963 he moved to Paris, where he lives and works today.[3]

Style
Mural by Antonio Seguí in the Metro Oriente, Lisbon.

Seguí’s work is influenced by artists like Fernand Leger and Diego Rivera. Generally has a satirical sense of humor, critiquing society and human nature.[2] Beyond this, Seguí’s art has lyric components that transcends his satirical intentions.[4]

One of the most characteristic features of Seguí's drawings and paintings is the presence of little men wearing hats. The artist has told that this comes from memories of his childhood, in a time when men always wore hats in the public space.[3]

A recurring theme in Seguí's work is urban life and its inhabitants which seems like speedy automatons that take immutable routes leading nowhere. Up close, each figure is an individual, walking around and doing all kind of things. But from a distance, the individuals conform a complex patterns in a labyrinthic landscape.[2] In many of his works, it can be see a vast crowd of figures, covering the whole surface of the canvas, like in Gente de las azoteas (1992), Se llamaba Charles Atlas (2001) or Pasar desapercibido (2001). But in a large number of canvases the focus is in individual figures, like Sacando la Lengua (1965) and EI Fumador (1966).[4]

In many paintings and drawings he has represented figures remembering tango, which it is considered by Seguí, a primary Argentinian myth. He has done various works related to the story of Carlos Gardel. In various of this works, he seems to suggest a close analogy between dancing the tango and the act of painting.[4]

From the '60 decade, Seugí follows a figurative tendence, but deliberately deforming the human figure,[1] with a style that remember aspects of child art and Outsider art.[4] Some cubist techniques can be identified, in his repeated urban elements and in the importance of line and color.[2]

Awards and honour

During his career, Antonio Seguí has received several awards and recognitions. Some of them are the following:[5]

  • Grand Prize awarded by the "National Museum of Western Art" at the V International Tokyo Biennial (1966).
  • First International Prize of Darmstadt (1967).
  • Grand Prize awarded at the Carcovia Biennial, Poland (1967).
  • Grand Prize awarded at the Biennial of San Juan, Puerto Rico (1968).
  • Grand Prize awarded at the Salon de Montrouge, France (1977).
  • Konex Prize Expressionist Painting (1982).
  • Instituto Torcuato Di Tella Award (1989).
  • Grand Prize National Fund of the Arts (1990).
  • Gold Medal XI Norwegian International Graphic Triennial (1995).
  • Konex Painting Prize: Quinquenio 1987 - 1991 (1992).
  • Konex Platinum Award: Graphic (2002).
  • Corresponding Member of the French Academy of Sciences and Arts.

References
  1. "Antonio Seguí, un argentino mundial - Las2orillas". Las2orillas (in Spanish). 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  2. "Antonio Seguí of Nohra Haime Gallery". Nohra Haime Gallery. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  3. "Antonio Seguí, el pintor de los hombrecitos con sombrero que siempre está de vuelta" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  4. Lucie-Smith, Edward (2003). "Surtout les chapeaux". www.antonio-segui.com. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  5. Fundación Konex. "Antonio Seguí" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-01-20.
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