Antognini, Alfredo (1938-2016)

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1938, Alfredo Antognini studied at the School of Fine Arts and received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Buenos Aires. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in both Drawing (1971) and Painting (1974), and taught in the studio of the Argentinean sculptor Aurelio Macchi.

Alfredo and his wife Maricler moved to San Diego in 1977 and resided in La Jolla and South Park. He had numerous exhibitions in the San Diego area and his works are included in the holdings of several local collectors. His works have also been exhibited internationally in Paris, Mexico City, Nuevo Leon, and Buenos Aires, including a one-man show in Buenos Aires in 1990 sponsored by the OEA (Organization of American States).

Alfredo worked in the European representational and figurative traditions, his pieces a quiet revolution against the influx of loud contemporary art. His works are intimate in nature as he sought to speak to the viewer, person to person, and establish a conversation that lies somewhere between reality and perception, objectivity and expression. Alfredo’s art can be categorized into distinct themes, inspired by the landscapes that surrounded him. His series of Las Sirvientas were an homage to the servants that lived in the shadows in Argentina; his Tango paintings were a way of capturing what Tango means in Argentina, which is more than a dance — it is a way of mediating between life and death. His beach scenes were inspired by the California life style he discovered. A consistent theme he returned to were his still lifes. Highly educated and a lover of life, his humor often is obvious to the viewer. Above all he always viewed his subject matter from the position of the artist as witness.