Anselm Boix-Vives

Born 1899 in Castellon -Spain. Died 1969 in Moutiers - France.

Coming from a poor family of nine children, Anselme Box-Vives was unable to attend school. At the age of eighteen, he moved to France. Using the name of Anselme Bois, he worked in a factory, on a farm and in the mines. In 1926, he was able to realize his dream : acquire a fruit and vegetable shop on the main street of Moûtiers. He drafted a "peace plan," describing how to make the world a better place and solve all problems of the planet. The first edition of his manifest L’Union Mondiale - l’avenir du monde came out on 3 April 1956. He sent a copy of the manuscript to General de Gaulle, the Queen of England, the Pope. His fellow citizens, however, made fun of him and Boix-Vives was terribly hurt by the lack of response to his writings. In 1962, after the death of his wife, he decided to pass his shop over to his son. One of his other sons encouraged him to paint, when he remembered that their father used to scribble drawings on the back of the store invoices. Anselme Boix-Vives began thus a new life devoted to painting. Between July 1962 - July 1969 he created more than two thousand paintings : gouaches, oils (also Ripolin oils), drawings. His universe is peopled with kings, chaplains, lunar beings, heroes of the 20th century (John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, TV commentators like Catherine Langeais, the actor Michel Simon and others), current events (The March on Washington) and biblical scenes. Boix-Vives’ paintings are snapshots of our times, in the middle of a flamboyant jungle.

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