Anne Donnelly is an Irish artist who has lived in Italy for over forty years. She was born in Belfast and grew up in the midlands of Ireland in Co. Carlow. She studied first at the College of Art in Dublin in 1953, then a year later at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Madrid. She finally went on to study at the Ecole Julienne in Paris in 1956 where she met her husband, acclaimed Italian writer Carlo Mazzantini. Together with her husband and four daughters, she has lived and worked in many parts of the world: first in France (1956), then Spain (1956-57) and Morocco (1958-61) before returning to Ireland (1961-63). From 1963 to 1966 they took up residence in Tuscany before finally moving to Tivoli where they have resided until the present day, close to the ruins of Hadrian’s Villa where Anne now has her studio.

Although based in Italy, Anne has been a regular exhibitor in Ireland, including three solo exhibitions at the Peppercanister Gallery. Sun-lit farm yards, galloping horses, swans and sea gulls in flight and delicate female heads are just some of her favourite themes. These hauntingly beautiful heads are partly inspired by her talented four adult daughters, but also undoubtedly by ancient Italian frescoes with their chalky textures and subtle fresco colours. The pared down quality of her work gives way to an evocative lyricism which is ever-present. Her still, silent landscapes, suffused in light, have a timeless quality and are undeniably suggestive of the Mediterranean. She has regularly painted almond trees in blossom, the olive groves in Tivoli and the cockerels and hens she keeps in their small holding there, drawing constant inspiration from the natural environment which surrounds her. Recently she has produced a number of delightful still lives, featuring arrangements of fruit, flowers and various domestic items in her trademark delicate fashion. She grows steadily more masterly in her art as the latest works testify. She has always painted, but with increasing skill, intensity and range in the last decade.

Anne is a member of DUNA which is part of the International Association of Women Artists. Her works are to be found in the following public collections: The Arts Council of Northern Ireland; AIB Bank Collection, Dublin; Office of Public Works, Ireland; National Self Portrait Collection, University of Limerick; George Moore Famine Collection; Irish Embassy in Rome; Accademia Britannica, Perugia and the Shannon Collection, Boston. Also in private collections in Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, France, Spain, Greece, Argentina, Switzerland, USA and Australia.