Mixed media (oil, acrylic paint, pastel, charcoal, iron plate, cardboard) on canvas
Spain, 2012
Antonio Alonso Martinez (born 1963) – Spanish-Portuguese painter
Verso titled, signed and dated ‘Innocent until proven guilty Martinez 2012’
With certificate of authenticity by the artist
Overall dimensions: 61 x 50 cm
Very good condition
Provenance: Spanish private collection
A provocative and satirical portrait of the U.S. politician George W. Bush by the hand of the celebrity painter, ‘Martinez the Killer’; his artworks fetch up to 12,000 euros at international auctions

‘Innocent until proven guilty’ is the descriptive title of this provocative and satirical work of Spanish-Portuguese artist Antonio Alonso Martinez (born 1963). One is innocent until the contrary is proven. With this motto, written beneath the portrait of former U.S. President George W. Bush, Martinez addresses merciless criticism to American politics. The Texan governed the United States of America from 2001 to 2009. His time in office included the Iraq war and the search for the supposed weapons of mass destruction. Does the title of the work allude to this? Or is the streaky green-blue coating of the portrait an allusion to the often assumed ‘true’ reason of the war, namely the oil? Just as the person George W. this portrait gives ample scope for speculation and controversy.



Bush is depicted with a cheerful smile as if on a promotional poster for the next presidential elections. But his face gleams in the before mentioned shades of blue and bilious green and his forehead shows the U.S. Army Star. His eyes stand out in a cold blue, the sharpness of which is enhanced by white pinheads. Martinez distorts the faces of the persons he portrays in an inimitable way. Among his most famous portraits is not only George W. Busch, but also Kurt Cobain or Kate Moss, offered in the previous auction lot.



The painting ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ by Antonio Alonso Martinez is in very good condition with slight signs of wear. Some areas show fine scratches in the iron. The upper left corner shows traces of oxidation. The reverse is titled, signed and dated ‘Innocent until proven guilty Martinez 2012’. The overall dimensions are 61 x 50 cm. The painting comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.



Antonio Alonso Martinez (born 1963)

Martinez was born in Portugal in 1963 to Spanish parents and studied painting in Lisbon. Martinez' best friend was murdered at the age of eighteen before his eyes. This shocking experience deeply marked him and is one reason why his portraits often deal with mortality. Since 2011, the artist has been living in Spain. The same year, one of his portraits of Kurt Cobain fetched a sensational result at the Dorotheum in Vienna. Another portrait of Cobain was successfully auctioned at Christie’s in London in 2012.

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