Yvon d'Anjou

Yvon d'Anjou (born June 12, 1940) is a Canadian artist.

Born into a large family in Montreal on June 12, 1940, Yvon d'Anjou was a shy sensative child. Self-sufficient and a loner by nature, d'Anjou filled his chidhood hours with strains of classical music, fanciful daydreams and spontaneous sketching. He had passion for collecting diverse objects such as rare stamps, old coins, nostalgic memorabilia and eventually original antiques.

In 1963-64 he joined the Quebec sovereignty movement. About the same time he helped found the Quebec Journal, gaining a reputation as a skilled commercial artist.

In 1965, he returned to Montreal where he joined the art staff of the Journal de Montreal, working the night shift. Arriving home after an evening of work with the world around him quiet and asleep, he began investigating his artistic visions of shape, color and texture.

Elated with his dramatic self-discovery and obsessed with the expression of his meditative visions, d'Anjou left the Journal de Montreal to pursue the simple life devoted to his art in an artist colony in Quebec's Latin Quarter on the Rue de Tresor.

Within a year, his works were featured on the covers of two major magazine publications - Culture Vivante, published by the Cultural Affairs Department of the Government of Quebec and Mainmise, published both in France and the Province of Quebec.

Later his work would find it's way onto a Uriah Heep album cover, the book cover for The Aquarian Wave and into the private collections of Pierre Trudeau and Tennessee Williams and onto the walls of Canadian embassies in London and the US; and into the distinguished L'Annuaire de Art International.

Yvon d'Anjou works almost exclusively with Tempera, as that medium more than any other lends itself to d'Anjou's intense coloration and gradual progression of tonals values vital to achieving his dimensional effects. "Timeless Tunnels to Infinate" is a series in this venue

He works on many types of surfaces - from wood to masonite, canvas or paper. But he consistently strives to achieve the same extraordinary spatial illusions.

Universal appeal characterizes d'Anjou's creations. They're timeless tunnels to infinity, according to the artist. In the words of d'Anjou: 'To the viewer my artistic visions are everything - or they are nothing. However, it must be realized that from nothing springs everything."

He proudly proclaims "The style of Yvon d'Anjou is unique. It has never been duplicated or matched. And chances are, it never will be. Only he has mastered this charismatic art style that draws the eye - and the SOUL - like a magnet."

Galleries and collections

*The Mobile Art Gallery, Mobile, AL
*Brooks Gallery, Birmingham, AL
*Reflections Gallery of Art, Atlanta, GA
*20th Century Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA
*Gallery of the Southwest, Houston, TX
*Sol del Rio Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
*Les Enfants Art Gallery, New Orleans, LA
*Heritage Art Gallery, Lafayette, LA
*Heleperin Gallery, Chicago IL
*Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL
*Colbert Art Gallery, Montreal, ON
*Only the Best, St Tropez, FR
*Martins Gallery, North Miami, FL

Awards

*Long Beach Art Association, Special Award, 1972
*West Palm Beach Art Association, Second Prize, 1974
*Woodall Williams Festival of Arts, Third Prize, 1974
*Artfest '74 in Milwaukee, WI, Honorable Mention 1974
*Mobile Art Gallery, Purchase Award, 1975
*Key Biscayne Art Festival, Second Prize, 1975
*Gulf Shores Art Festival, First Prize, 1975
*Westheimer Arts Festival, Houston, TX, Purchase Award
*Lafayette Art Association, First Prize, Second Prize, Honorable Mention, 1975
*Ridge Art Association, Chicago, IL, Presidents Award, 1975
*North Wildwood Art Festival, NJ, Second Prize, 1975
*Atlantic City National Exhibit, First Place, 1975
*North Miami Beach Festival, First Place, 1975
*Brookwood Mall, Birmingham, AL, 1976