Extra Real, Extra Colorful,- the Toy Story by Andres Compagnucci
“I am working on a large size flower panting. I also have an ongoing series of paintings that celebrate art,- a tribute to the artists I like the most. I show their style and personality in a playful way by using toys dressed up as the artists themselves.” -Andres Compagnucci
INTERVIEW WITH ANDRES COMPAGNUCCI
ANDRES COMPAGNUCCI
From artist’s archives
LES COULEURS: What’s your background?
ANDRES COMPAGNUCCI: From 1982 to 1988 I studied painting with Carlos Pacheco. In 1992 I graduated as Graphic Designer from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. In 1994 I received a scholarship from Fundación PROA to study with Guillermo Kuitca.
LC: If you could work within a past art movement, which would it be?
AC: I would probably choose the Dutch school. The fascinating technique of Johannes Vermeer has always been a mystery and his paintings have such a magical atmosphere.
ANDRES COMPAGNUCCI
From artist’s archives
LC: Why do you make and receive studio visits?
AC: It’s always nice to receive people in my studio. Studio visits help understand the artist’s point of view and his work better. My studio is full of toys and souvenirs. I also have a collection of 12 pinball machines. All these toys have a special place in my hart. I see them as a way to retrieve those good moments from the past.
LC: Which writer or poet do you return to the most?
AC: For short stories I enjoy reading Raymond Carver, for novels,- I love Paul Auster.
ANDRES COMPAGNUCCI
From artist’s archives
LC: Who are your biggest influences? Have you ever had a moment when you questioned your career entirely?
AC: I love pop art and hyperrealism, David Hockney, Kenny Sharf, Ryan McGuinness, Don Eddy , Richard Estes, Joseph Raffael….. many more. That moment has not arrived yet, for more than 30 years I’ve been doing exactly what I wanted to, but who knows what can happen tomorrow?
LC: What does your work aim to say?
AC: In a great number of my works I try to recreate happy moments using objects that make us remember them. In the flower series, I try to find a new way to show something that has been done so many times throughout the history of art. I always say, that the challenge is similar to figuring out your next move in a chess game…. Not easy but very rewarding.
LC: If you could steel one work of art without being caught, what would it be?
AC: Just one? I would steal a small painting by Peter Blake, called Girl in a Poppy Field that I saw at an exhibition in Brazil when I was a teenager. I fell in love with that piece immediately.
PETER BLAKE
Girl in a Poppy Field 1974
LC: What do you dislike about the art world?
AC: Snobbery. Contemporary art scene sometimes reminds me of the literary folk tale The Emperor’s New Clothes. Many times the king is naked, but the art world doesn’t seem to notice it.
LC: What are you working on now? Exciting new projects?
AC: I’m working on a large size flower panting. I also have an ongoing series of paintings that celebrate art. A tribute to the artists I like the most. Showing their style and personality in a playful way by using toys dressed up as the artists themselves.
Some of my art pieces are being shown at Irazoqui Art Gallery in Miami. The gallery is planning to be part of the upcoming art fairs and fairs are always exciting!
LC: What exhibitions have you participated in?
AC: My favorite one was a solo exhibition with 26 of my paintings at the most important museum of Argentina, the National Museum of Buenos Aires in 1997.
I have participated in some outstanding art fairs, such as Art Basel Miami, Miami Conventional Center (2003-2004), ARCO, Madrid (1998-2002-2003-2004-2005), Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary (2019), Art Lima, Perú (2019) among others.
I have also participated in these selected group exhibitions: Jeune Peinture, Espace Eiffel Brandly, Paris (1995); Sarajevo 2000.
Museum of Modern Art, Vienna (1998); 6ta Bienal de Cuenca, Ecuador (1998); Sammer Gallery, Marbella (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007); DPM Gallery, Miami (2007, 2008); Galería Sokoa, Madrid (2008, 2009); Seis Realistas de España, Albermarle Gallery, London (2008); And the Dish Ran Away From The Soup, Collectors Contemporary Gallery, Singapore (2008); Now Gallery Miami (2011, 2014, 2016); Colección Gomez, Porsche Museum, Stuttgart (2011), Rarity Gallery, Mykonos, Greece (2012); Galería del Paseo, Manantiales, Uruguay (2015); Galería Diana Saravia, Montevideo, Uruguay (2019, 2020); Irazoqui Art Gallery, Miami ( 2021)
