Anastasia Bay

She graduated with a BA from Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2012 after studying under François Boisrond.

Anastasia Bay’s paintings present scenes borrowed from theater, opera or the carnivalesque scenes of Ensor or Brueghel the Elder. Her characters embody the irony of overturning society's established roles and norms at these moments of popular gathering. Bay’s work is all about contrast and balance in a very cathartic way. The choice of a precise fragment of reality in her works dissolves any narration. The mysterious, sometimes disturbing characters are caught in vibrant movements, blurring the lines of their barely sketched bodies and faces. There is a search for simplicity in her gesture, seeking for the essence of the being she is depicting. She shares with Philip Guston or Gérard Gasiorowski a bluntness in the works and the ability to express very vivid emotions through a very simple and assertive line.

Her recent exhibitions include: ‘‘Maestra Lacrymae’’ (solo), Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels (2024); ‘‘House of dreamers’’, Fondation Boghossian, Villa Empain, Bruxelles, (2023); “The Stumbler’s Parade“ (solo), Venus Over Manhattan, New York (2023); "The Rings of Saturn", Galerie Derouillon, Paris (2023); “The Awaken of the Cariatids” (solo), Galerie Derouillon, Paris (2022); “Allez Allez”, Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris (2022); "Anastasia Bay + Jordy Kerwick", Anna Zorina Gallery, New York (2022), “LEAF”, Fondation Boghossian, Villa Empain, Brussels (2021); “One Hundred Ghost Stories” (solo), Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels (2021); “Zillions Forefathers”, The White House Gallery, Lovenjoel (2021); Paintings Portraits (duo with Armen Eloyan), BÜRO, Basel (2021); “Can’t Bust’em” (solo), Galerie Derouillon, Paris (2021).

Public collections: Fondation Lafayette Anticipations, Paris (FR); Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (US); Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris (FR); X Museum, Beijing (CN); Zuzeum Museum, Riga (LV).