Michel Anthony has come a very long way, literally and figuratively, from a rough start as a rubber-cutting boy in Perak, Malaysia, then sailing the world oceans, before finally casting anchor in Nice, from where Michel is now ready to embark on a well-deserved world career as one of the premier contemporary sculptors.

With a remarkable talent, Michel was accepted into the prestigious Del Chiaro Foundry in Pietrasanta, Italy, as one of a privileged few to work there.

He worked alongside Ken Scott in Milan, the American fashion designer synonymous with “Flower Power” art.

In 2005, in a series of three “firsts”, he entered his first European competition with a bang, winning first prize for the first sculpture he ever created.

The art world took note. He rapidly became sought after and participated in exhibitions and competitions across France and around the world, from Italy to Japan and his native Malaysia, accumulating numerous prestigious distinctions and awards over the years. 

 

Michel’s modern contemporary style, both in his sculpture and his paintings, bespeaks understated elegance, letting the material shine and the message speak for itself. All his œuvres tell a story, and the red thread found throughout is a reflection of Michel himself – his background, life, encounters, and philosophy: he has grown to become a worldly, self-educated, multilingual renaissance man, seeing past drawers, borders, and conditions, with a universal love for peace and equality. And this is exactly mirrored in his work.

 

A frequent theme throughout his artistic expression is the world and the union of continents and races, represented for instance by hands in different skin colours, and crowned by a symbol of peace to show that no one is superior to others. “My religion is humanity,” is his credo. Along the same philosophy, he also painted a series centering around the intersection of world religions… their power and their danger. This is not art meant for sale, this is art inviting to reflect, which Michel would rather see displayed in a museum than on a collector’s wall. 

 

Today he works out of his atelier in Vieux Nice that he started fifteen years ago. Visitors are always welcome here, Michel will invariably take time for a chat with them and share his love for the arts. He is also engaging with the Niçois population in other ways: during the recent Messe des Artistes on Ash Wednesday, held by Father Yves-Marie Lequin who had convoked the finest local artists to display their work at St. Pierre d’Arène church, he presented some of his pieces, including The Heart.