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A n i t r a A n t o n e l l i
A n i t r a
A n t o n e l l i
American artist Anitra Antonelli was born in 1929. She spent a number of her early adulthood years living in Holland, travelling Europe, and drawing wherever she went. Upon returning to the United States, she worked as an illustrator for a literary publisher. At the time Julian and Källén met Anitra in 2013, she was living among the thousands of homeless on the streets of Los Angeles selling her art to survive. She could reliably be found displaying her art for sale at The Last Bookstore during Downtown LA Artwalk Thursdays.
Julian and Källén were successful at finding temporary housing for Anitra at The Alexandria, a repurposed downtown hotel used for low-income/indigent housing, but she "disappeared" from the Los Angeles art scene sometime in 2014/2015. Despite numerous attempts to find her, we have no knowledge of her current whereabouts.
Anitra had an unusual system of not signing her works until the actual point of sale. Her works are characterized by the date of completion and location, with the date of sale and her signature sometimes added decades later.
Anitra Antonelli with Källén Togashi at The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2013
(photo taken by Julian Togashi)
In Natus Filius, 1988
Pen on paper,
Matted and framed under museum glass
400mm x 500mm
Jester, 1992
Pen on paper,
Matted and framed under museum glass
280mm x 350mm
Crete Café Chania Harbor, 1988
Pen on paper,
Matted and framed under museum glass
250mm x 330mm
1927 Model A, 2013
Pen on paper,
Matted and framed under museum glass
250mm x 200mm
Vallejo, 2013
Pen on paper
Unframed
200mm x 250mm
Auschwitz, 1992
Pen on paper,
Unframed
200mm x 250mm
San Diego 6th Street Café, 1988
Pen on paper,
Matted and framed under museum glass
250mm x 330mm