Gallery Revel presents the art and original paintings by the artist Antoine Knibily. Knibily was trained for only one profession: to be a priest. This brought him as a young man to live in Chile among the poorest of the poor. In an attempt to wash away the painful memories of his experiences he moved to New York. Here Knibily began to search for joy through painting.
Biblio / BioPast Exhibition - July 1 - June 1, 2001Past Exhibition - April 6 - May 1, 2000Return to Artist ListKnibily created canvases exploding with a whole spectrum of colors through the prism of his own perspective directed by the force of his natural, passionate gestures.
The following is an autobiogrphy.
A MESSAGE OF LOVE
A few facts you may be interested to know about the artist. I was born in Alsace, France, in 1920. Since childhood, at then age of 12 or 13, I knew how hypersensitif God had made my nature: When I was in bording school, so far away from my faily for eleven months a year, I was sick at heart, with an allmost physical sensation of my heart having been cut in two. At the age of 18, still a border, one summer night, totally deprived of human affection, longing desperatly for love and tenderness, sobbing shamelessly, I embrazed the trunk of a giant tree. Fortunatly, two years later, that anguish was transformed into tears of perfect Joy, as I was consagrated completely to God's Love. At age 25, the day of the celebration of my first solemn Mass in Strasbourg, oblivious to the great crowd assembled for it, totally in love with God'abundant tears of divine Joy engulfed my heart. I was send to Chile, first as a teacher in Santiago y Valparaiso's colleges of the Sacred hearts. Soon after, I was given permission to care for the poor living in the surrounding hills of Valparaiso's Harbor. Later on, in Chiloe's island, south of Chile, I had my first contact with indians, still untouch by modern civilisation. I was deply impressed by their unique sincerity and goodness. After contracting thyphus, as a result of complet isolation and privations of all kind, I became the pastor of a small harbor, north of Chile, Caldera. Ther, living among fishermen, totally dedicated to the poor, I was so happy, my life complety fulfilled. Unfortunately I decided to go back to Santiago, where I had discovered the worst slum imaginable: 15.000 people living on the city garbage dump, calle NUEVA MATUCANA. I wanted to be among them, day and night, to bring them God's Love and understanding. Such stench, and so many fleas, so very much, to much to do, over-whelmed, exhausted, anguish and depression took hold of a completly destroyed nervous system. And that's how my life took a new direction. Not through words and personal presence would I be God's messenger of Love, but through His Art. Yes, that's how I feel: Iam not AN artist, I am HIS artist, HIS messenger!... Through the explosion of colors, bright and strong: Light and Joy Love and Peace: a unique style, because of a unique hypersensitif heart. And, in religious art, expressing God's Infinit MERCY... After a few first succes, in Paris and Chile, coming to New-York, Incognito, as a struggling artist, I experienced all the hardship of the exploited suffering poor of this modern Babylone. And through the religious paintings, contained in it I hope to transmit, far and wide, God, most wonderfull attribut: HIS INFINIT MERCY FOR ALL MANKIND. With brotherly love, your friend, ANTOINE KNIBILY
Exhibitions:
In 1968, Gallery "Le Drap d'Or" of Cannes hang some of Knibily's paintings next to Renoir and Picasso. In 1983, the Petit Palais Museum of Geneva exhibited 27 to Antoine Paintings. But in Japan, in 1992-1993, a very big succes finally began to help the poor children.
And in 1994, New York, officialy, accepted A.Knibily'Art Work.
