Anselme Boix-Vives – the greengrocer who started painting shown in Scandinavia for the first time

Uppsala Art Museum starts the summer by introducing the French artist Anselme Boix-Vives (1899–1969) in an extensive exhibition May25 to September 15. After having spent the main part of his life working as a greengrocer he started at the age of 63 to paint. Being self-taught and with a strong wish to change the world for the better he painted and drew more than 2000 pictures during the last seven years of his life. The exhibition “Visiting Anselme Boix-Vives” encompasses over 100 of these paintings and drawings that come mainly from the collection of the artist’s grandchildren, the composer Philippe Boix-Vives and the artist Julia Boix-Vives. They will also participate in the exhibition with their artistic work.

The exhibition is curated by Daniel Werkmäster in cooperation with Philippe Boix-Vives and Julia Boix-Vives.

The exhibition presents a number of magnificent works, but also gives a thematic and biographical description of Boix-Vive's artistry.One part is a stylized spatial design of Anselme's world – the vegetable shop and the painting studio.Also, in the exhibition are two of the artist's grandchildren, Philippe Boix-Vives, born in 1966, composer and musician, living in Stockholm and Julie Boix-Vives, born in 1970, visual artist and resident of Eindhoven, who with their own artistic works visit their grandfather.Most of the works in the exhibition also belong to them.Visiting Anselme Boix-Vives is produced by the Uppsala Art Museum.Curator is Daniel Werkmäster in collaboration with Philippe Boix-Vives and Julia Boix-Vives.In connection with the exhibition, a catalog is produced with a rich text and image material and will be released August 24.

Anselme Boix-Vives (1899-1969) born in Spain, emigrated to France at the age of 18 and, during most of his life, drove to greengrocery store in the village of Moûtiers in the French Savoy. Alongside his work, he developed a pacifistic world view and began to write several manifests in the 1950s. In 1962, encouraged by his son Michel, Anselme started Boix-Vives to paint. For seven years until his death in 1969, he performed about 2,400 paintings and drawings. His technique was unskilled and his image world his own, and also part of his idea and his work to create peace on earth. The color scale is bright and figures and motifs can often be derived from people, animals and nature, but there are also pure abstract compositions. Boix-Vives also got the opportunity to exhibit his pictures during his lifetime and today belongs to the recognized established artists in French art (Raw art). Surrealist André Breton was one of several admirers of Boix-Vives.

For further information, please contact:

Daniel Werkmäster, Museum Director, Uppsala Art Museum
E-mail: daniel.werkmaster@uppsala.se
Phone: +46 (0)18 727 24 79
Eva Björkman, Communicator, press officer, Uppsala Art Museum
E-mail: eva.bjorkman@uppsala.se
Phone:+46 18 727 24 80