Pat Andrea

b. 1942 The Hague, Holland

Dutch master painter, Pat Andrea excels in magical realism and neo-figurative painting. His work appears in some of the most prestigious collections in the US and abroad, including the Centre George-Pompidou in Paris and the MoMA in New York City. In 1998, he was appointed professor at École des Beaux Arts in Paris. He currently lives and works in Buenos Aires, Paris and The Hague with his wife and children who are also established artists.

Sexuality, fertility, fear and desire are conjured in Pat Andrea’s magical realist and neo-expressionist paintings. They are playful yet dark, raw yet delicate depictions of women and men in life and death. Andrea’s provocative work mostly features Argentinean women, as he is drawn to their passion and dominance. Their presence sends an emotional surge through each of his canvases.

In describing Andrea’s work, Anna Printezi, curator of Greece’s Frissiras Museum stated:

The love-making heroes of Pat Andrea may cause the pompous to laugh or, again, they may bring a smile to the viewer who witnesses the joy of realization and redemption, the joy of sexual pleasure.

Nevertheless, in no way does Pat Andrea lecture on matriarchy, nor is he a naïve hedonist. His painting seems like a prayer to the mother-goddess of spontaneous life and love. He urges us to accept our physical needs and enjoy our natural instincts, enthusiastically revealing the truth he has discovered…

It is Pat Andrea’s instincts that drive him. A natural draftsman, he begins each painting with a sketch, a drawing composition, which is born from his rich imagination. Andrea’s sharp vertical and horizontal lines and figures are startlingly erect. His vibrant colors are inspired by the palette of Latin America. Andrea currently lives and works in Buenos Aires, Paris and The Hague with his wife and children, who are also established artists.

“elementos” a short documentary of the artist in his workshop (by Romain Dussaulx)