The Empty Cloak, also known as the Cloak of Conscience, Pietà or Commendatore is Anna Chromý’s best known work. Sculpted from a block of white Carrara marble, the work invites meditation. “For me, this cloak is the symbol of what survives us following our time on Earth,” ...
The Empty Cloak, also known as the Cloak of Conscience, Pietà or Commendatore is Anna Chromý’s best known work. Sculpted from a block of white Carrara marble, the work invites meditation. “For me, this cloak is the symbol of what survives us following our time on Earth,” said the artist. She had the idea for the Cloaks series while working on the portrait of a woman behind whom was her own cloak. The creation is spontaneous; the search for its deepest meaning is never-ending. The sculpture donated by the German Club to the Principality was the first marble Cloak of Conscience. It was unveiled on 8 August 2014 by H.S.H. Prince Albert II.
Anna Chromý was born on 18 July 1940 in Krumau, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. At the end of the Second World War, Anna Chromý’s family left Bohemia for Vienna and Salzburg in Austria. After marrying and moving to Paris, Anna studied painting at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts where she rapidly built a reputation for her surrealist visions. An accident in 1992 meant that she was unable to paint for a long time, and so she turned to sculpture using bronze and marble. Based in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, she found inspiration and materials in Italy, from the quarries in Carrara and Pietrasanta. Her large-scale sculptures have been installed at many outstanding locations in Europe and China. Although most of her work is figurative, the subjects evoke Greco-Roman mythology, such as the fables of Orpheus and Sisyphus. Anna Chromy cites surrealism as one of her main influences. Very attached to the Principality, she died on 18 September 2021 in Monaco.
