The work of Antonio de Felipe is a constant source of fascination and surprises. It is a great pleasure to witness how the artistโs inge-nious world of ideas and his sense of humour are constantly evolving.
Antonio de Felipe was born in Valencia in 1965. Ever since a very young age he has felt an artistic drive that led him to earn a fine arts degree at the University of Valencia. During his studies he worked as a creative designer in an advertising agency which undoubtedly influenced what would be his future pictorial style. In 1996 he moved to Madrid where he has his studio.
Antonio de Felipe has developed his extensive work in different series. His subject worlds form a surprising genre blend, a linking of series characters, classical art and commercialism side by side with contemporary icon worship. His motifs are often painted in constellations that pay homage to great artists, including Velรกzquez, Picasso, Mondrian and others. Many of his works exhibit an ingenious ability to express powerful paradoxes.
One example of this can be seen in the paraphrase on Diego Velรกzquez famous Las Meninas (Spanish for The Maids of Honour), painted in 1656. Instead of the glass of cold, perfumed water in the original, Antonio de Felipe places a Fanta soft drink in the hand of the young Spanish princess Margarita. The painting is part of the series LOGOTIPOS (logos) devoted to the world of art and advertising. This series was followed by VACAS (cows), with paintings such as Vaca Vogue, a pink
cow on the cover of a Vogue magazine. Then, CINEMASPOP where actors like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn among others were revived as pop icons, with well-known creations such as Black Audrey. In 2009 Antonio de Felipe presented POPSPORT in which the artist mixes the world of sport with cartoons and art history, uch as in La carrera where Picassoโs Demoiselles dโAvignon are participating in a run at a stadium. And latest, the LPop series where the artist is playing with the motifs and titles of famous LP album covers, such as Bad Bart where Bart Simpson is accompanying Michael Jackson on his album Bad.
During the twenty years which have spanned his intense professional career, Antonio de Felipe has participated in over seventy solo exhibitions both in Spain and abroad, and in many other collective exhibitions, such as in La Casa de Vacas in Madrid, Museu Picasso in Barcelona, Museo de la Ciudad in Valencia, Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa (BBK) Foundation and at the Soma Museum of Art in Seoul, as well as in important galleries such as in Galerie Levy in Hamburg, Galerie Terminus in Munich, Andipa Gallery in London, FMR (Franco Maria Ricci) in Rome and Lee Gallery in Seoul, among others.
Together with William Sweetlove, Cecilia Cubarle, Philippe Huart and MariaManuela, among others, Antonio de Felipe is one of the members in the group Les nouveauX pop, which has had several exhibitions in Europe and Asia.
Mรฅlningarna av Antonio de Felipe fascinerar och รถverraskar. Det รคr en upplevelse att fรถlja honom genom hans sinnrika aldrig sinande idรฉvรคrld, kryddad med en stor portion humor, och se hur han vรคver samman sina teman.
Antonio de Felipe fรถddes i Valencia 1965. Redan som liten mรคrktes hans konstnรคrliga รฅdra som ledde honom till en examen pรฅ konsthรถgskolan i Valencia. Under sina studier arbetade han som kreativ designer pรฅ en reklambyrรฅ vilket otvivelaktigt kom att influera hans framtida konstnรคrliga bildsprรฅk. Sedan 1996 har han sin ateljรฉ i Madrid.
Antonio de Felipes konst har utvecklats genom olika serier. I hans bildvรคrld lรคnkas seriefigurer, klassisk konst och kommersialism samman med vรฅr tids idoldyrkan. Hans motiv รคr ofta mรฅlade i konstellationer som hedrar stora mรคstare som Velรกzquez, Picasso, Mondrian bland andra. Mรฅnga av hans verk uttrycker kraftfulla paradoxer.
Ett exempel pรฅ hur konstnรคren leker med reklamens schablonartade sprรฅk รคr hans parafras pรฅ Diego Velรกzquez berรถmda verk Las Meninas (Hovdamerna) frรฅn 1656. De Felipe lรฅter hรคr den unga spanska prinsessan Margarita strรคcka fram en burk Fanta i stรคllet fรถr att som i originalverket greppa ett glas kallt, parfymerat vatten. Mรฅlningen ingรฅr i serien LOGOTIPOS (logotyper) tillรคgnad konstens och reklamens vรคrld. Denna serie fรถljdes av VACAS (kor) med bl.a. mรฅlningen Vaca Vogue som fรถrestรคller en rosa ko pรฅ omslaget till ett Vogue magasin. Dรคrefter, serien CINEMASPOP dรคr skรฅdespelare som bland andra Marilyn Monroe och Audrey Hepburn รฅteruppstod som popikoner. En vรคlkรคnd mรฅlning i denna serie รคr Black Audrey. ร
r 2009 presenterades POPSPORT. Hรคr fรถrenar konstnรคren teckande serier och konsthistoria med olika idrottsgrenar, sรฅsom i La carrera dรคr Picassoโs Demoiselles dโAvignon springer med i ett lopp pรฅ en fullsatt stadion. I Antonio de Felipes senaste serie LPop leker han med berรถmda LP-fodrals motiv och titlar som i Bad Bart dรคr Bart Simpson gรถr Michael Jackson sรคllskap pรฅ hans skiva Bad.
Under sina intensiva 20 รฅr som professionell konstnรคr har Antonio de Felipe deltagit i รถver 70 one man shows och i mรฅnga andra gemensamma utstรคllningar bรฅde i Spanien och i รถvriga vรคrlden bl. a. pรฅ La Casa de Vacas i Madrid, Museu Picasso i Barcelona, Museo de la Ciudad i Valencia, Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa (BBK) Foundation och pรฅ Soma Museum of Art i Seoul, liksom pรฅ betydande gallerier sรฅsom pรฅ Galerie Levy i Hamburg, Galerie Terminus i Mรผnchen, Andipa Gallery i London, FMR (Franco Maria Ricci) i Rom och Lee Gallery i Seoul, bland andra.
Tillsammans med bland andra William Sweetlove, Cecilia Cubarle, Philippe Huart och MariaManuela, รคr Antonio de Felipe en av medlemmarna i konstnรคrsgruppen Les nouveauX pop, som har haft flera utstรคllningar i Europa och Asien.