The Life and Work of Anton Murre

"My Life is My Art"

Anton Murre 1924-2012- Genius and Outsider Artist

Early Life

Anton Murre was born in Zeeland Holland in 1924. His childhood was difficult as he never knew his father and his mother even refused to tell him who it was on her deathbed in 1945. He lived in a very strict Dutch Reformed community which was dominated by the church. He was looked after by his aunts and uncles as his mother went away to work as a domestic servant. He spent some years in an orphanage and was there when the Germans invaded in 1940.

He was saved from being drafted into the german army because he was studying to be a merchant navy engineer and after the war he served on a number of dutch ships on the holland-baltic-norway-sweden and holland-america runs. His nautical background is one of the themes of his art. 

He met his wife Mary on a trip to sydney in 1948 and he decided to emigrate and they got married in 1949.

He worked as a fitter and turner from 1949 to the late 1980's and the industrial theme was also in his work-

ANTON-MURRE/CHEMICAL-WORKS/

He derived a love of sculpture from exposure to sydney sandstone as he lived in Mosman from 1949 to 1961- he went on many fishing and art expeditions around the harbour shoreline from Sirius Cove over to Bradley's Head. He also used driftwood. He studied under professor Bissietta who had a studio in the city and one of his first exhibitions was under his patronage-

The Sydney Morning Herald - Feb 15, 1955-

Anton Murre Exhibition Review- Sydney Morning Herald 1955

Anton held many exhibitions and after his retirement he moved to Bowral in 1989-

Sculptor, painter and sketcher for over 50 years. 

Experiments with range of materials and techniques. 

Mainly self-taught, combining creative expression with technology. 

Member of Berrima District Arts Society. 

Exhibited in many group and solo shows. 

Won several awards, including Bowral Sculpture Prize (2004).

www.artfiles.com.au/antonmurre

and also- Blackheath Art Society- 2005 Open Spring Exhibition

Commended: The Journey

www.blackheathart.com/prizewinners/archives/2005/archive.htm

During the 1990's he was also a member of Artery Art Cooperative which had a studio/warehouse in Camperdown- it was there that he met Anthony Mannix- a master of art brut-

www.anthonymannix.com

Anton created many art books- each of which contains unique and original masterpieces-

Anton Murre: Australian Art and Artists File

Anton began a journal in the 1970's and continued to add to it even on his deathbed in 2012. These journals are full of his thoughts, experiences and philosophy as well as containing masterpieces in water colour, pen and ink and acrylics. There are more than 50 volumes of these journals. 

We are working on presenting them via video clips and there are now many at-

Anton's Youtube profile- Outsiderartz

Please watch- 

Works On Paper- the Final Years- 

it includes some beautiful music by Gerald Finzi

The work of Anton and others is featured at-

www.outsiderartz.com

Much more will be added here- Anton was a very complex and in some ways, a driven man. Perhaps his rather traumatic childhood and adolescence were very influential.

This is all for you Dad- we will never forget you and we miss you very much.

Vale Anton Murre- 

"How like an angel came I down. How bright are things here."

"And everything that I did see, did with me talk."

"I nothing in the world did know- but was divine."

Please note that the outsiderartz website is no longer available-

For more Info and Contact-

antonmurreart@gmail.com