Alan Sanchez
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1960, Alan began painting at a very early age enrolling in adult classes at the local YMCA at the age of 10. In his senior year of high school he began taking classes at the Detroit Institute of Art under the instruction Detroit Artist Allie McGee. It was here he ... moreBorn in Detroit, Michigan in 1960, Alan began painting at a very early age enrolling in adult classes at the local YMCA at the age of 10. In his senior year of high school he began taking classes at the Detroit Institute of Art under the instruction Detroit Artist Allie McGee. It was here he learned of contemporary art and more importantly of the local art school, the Center for Creative Studies.
After high school graduation Alan was accepted at the Center for Creative Studies, studying Graphic Design. The following year he transferred to the Fine Art department headed by New York/ Detroit artist Aris Koutroulis. By his senior year Alan was awarded a residency to the New York Studio School in Greenwich Village, N.Y.C. and began exhibiting with Provenance Gallery in Chelsea N.Y. He earned his B.F.A from the Center for Creative Studies in 1983 with a major in figure drawing and painting with a minor in anatomy.
During this time Alan participated in his first group show in 1979 at the Pontiac Art Center and his first one man show at the Peterboro Gallery in Detroit in 1983.
Alan moved permanently to New York City after graduation and continued exhibiting with Provenance Gallery until 1990. It was while he was showing here that he created numerous commission portraits for celebrities, including Farrah Fawcett. In 1988 he also expanded his reach to Paris, France where he began showing in Galerie Rec in the Marais district.
Opening his own design and fabrication company in Brooklyn in 1992, Alan created furniture and interiors for architects and designers, while continuing to exhibit with galleries in both NYC and Detroit.
In February 2004 Alan moved to the south west of France, exhibiting with Galerie 17 in Pezanas, France. Alan was selected to represent Galerie 17 at the prestigious annual International art exhibition “Art en Nime”, in the city of Nimes. During the summers Alan instructed students at the Center for Creative Studies in art history and referencing, concept drawing, sculpture in clay and metal fabrication.
It was while he was exhibiting with Galerie Bex in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France, that the gallery owner Eric Bex also acted as Alan’s artistic agent and procured a high-profile commission project - a 4 meter by 2 meter painting created in the headquarters lobby of the French petroleum research company Technip, in La Défense, Paris. Alan worked ten hours a day with spectators not only watching the creation but also encouraged to either write or paint on the canvas alongside the artist. Soon after, he was commissioned to create two large paintings in the presence of 300 plus spectators in the Garage showroom of Piaggio Scooters in Paris, France – two large pieces, “Apollo” and “Venus”.
During this time, Alan was also teaching painting techniques including Italian renaissance at the art school André Malraux in Villeneuve sur Lot from 2012-2016 while continuing to exhibit throughout the southwest of France including two solo exhibitions at the 13th century church Our Lady of Pinel, in the village of Pinel. Here he showed his religious works including the ongoing series “the five apparitions of Juan Diego”. These two exhibits were the realisation of a dream of the artist to exhibit this series in a sacred church.
In January of 2017 Alan moved to the Phoenix area of Arizona where he now finds inspiration in the beautiful and curious landscape and history of Arizona. “I find the landscapes of the desert and mountains here to be very inspiring. I compare the landscapes here to the painting of Picasso, almost austere, with the beauty in its imposing majesty, honesty and natural force.”
"My work has been a daily part of my life for over forty years. A great deal of my imagery has been inspired by stories particularly religious stories, like the “Five Apparitions of Juan Diego” and Guadalupe."
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