Anzo’s works span painting, design and sculpture, and depict alienation within the technological formatting of contemporary life. His Aislamiento (Isolation) series of paintings captures anonymity, alienation and estrangement in a cold, indifferent world marked by informatics and corporations. In Aislamiento 14 (Isolation 14) – painted in grey monochrome – an anonymous man stands within a ring of ominous, block- like structures resembling tape recorders and broadcast machines. The depiction of echo chambers and isolation in these paintings prefigure communication crises in our age of media polarisation and social media.
José Iranzo Almonacid, also known as Anzo (b. 1931, Utiel, Spain; d. 2006, Valencia, Spain) was a painter, designer and sculptor. Anzo is considered one of the most outstanding Spanish artists of the 20th century. Founding member of the Valencia branch of Estampa Popular, Anzo attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Valencia and the School of Architecture of Barcelona before. After joining the Nueva Generación group in the late 1960s, his work became known in Madrid. He was awarded with countless distinctions, including the Generalitat de Valencia Visual Arts Prize which he received in 2003. Recent solo exhibitions include Anzo. Isolation (1967-1985), Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Valencia (2017); Anzo. Tribute, Muro Gallery, Valencia (2014); Aislamientos, Valle Ortí Gallery, Valencia (2010). Most recent groups exhibitions include Art Collectives in Valencia under the Francoism, Valencian Institute of Modern Art, Valencia (2015); America, America, Valencian Institute of Modern Art, Valencia (2012); Behind the wall there is sun, Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante (2011).
EXHIBITED WORKS
Aislamiento 14, 1968
Oil on canvas
100 × 100 cm
Courtesy Colección Anzo.
Presented with the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).
Aislamiento 12, 1967
Oil on canvas
147 × 114 cm
Courtesy Colección Anzo.
Presented with the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).
Aislamiento 10, 1967
Oil on canvas
100 × 100 cm
Courtesy Colección Anzo. Presented with the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).
