Anastasia Bay

Born in France in 1988
Lives and works in Brussels

View CV


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).

Exhibitions

Group Show → Les Anneaux De Saturne

January 12th - February 25th, 2023

Galerie Derouillon, Étienne Marcel

Anastasia Bay → Le Reveil Des Cariatides

May 5th - June 11th, 2022

Galerie Derouillon, Étienne Marcel

Anastasia Bay → Can’t Bust’em

February 11th - March 13th, 2021

Galerie Derouillon, Haut Marais & Hôtel Cromot du Bourg

Artist News

Museum Acquisition

Anastasia Bay / Vojtěch Kovařík → Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris

March 15, 2024

Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris (FR)

Hors-les-Murs

Anastasia Bay & Mathilde Albouy → Villa Empain

June 15th - October 1st, 2023

Fondation Boghossian, Villa Empain

Hors-les-Murs

Anastasia Bay → Centre Wallonie Bruxelles

April 29th - May 29th, 2022

Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris