Tony Mafia
Tony Mafia was an American-Belgian painter, sculptor, and singer-songwriter. Known for his defigurative, expressionist work across media, he exhibited widely throughout Europe and the United States between the 1960s and 1980s. His international lifestyle and Cherokee heritage influenced a distinct visual style that drew from both southwest American and European Symbolism traditions.
Early life
Tony Mafia was born in Chicago, Illinois in on 4 August 1931. According to a 1999 obituary in the Los Angeles Times, he was awarded a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago at the age of eight.He also gained early recognition as a flamenco performer, as reported in a 1963 article in The Desert Sun. He left home as a teenager and supported himself through painting, music, theater, and occasional film roles. He lived and worked in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Mexico, and the United States.
Career
In the 1960s, Mafia lived in Los Angeles, California; there, he produced Monday night hootenannies at the Troubadour Club. During this time, his work was collected by figures such as Jack Lemmon, Jack Nicholson and Cher.In December 1962, the Tony Mafia Gallery opened in the El Paseo complex in Mill Valley, California. Operated by Judy Moll, the gallery featured Mafia's paintings.
His work, described as a blend of figurative and surrealist elements, included themes of mythology, symbolism, and autobiographical reflection.
In 1965, while in Copenhagen, Mafia painted and sold a work near the Stork Fountain without having obtained a permit. Danish police deported him for five years, officially citing unlicensed commercial activity. Mafia later reflected that he believed the decision was influenced by societal prejudice against his long-haired appearance and unconventional demeanor. He returned to Denmark in 1970 to exhibit at Galleri Goya in Vejle.
The RKD lists him as a registered painter and sculptor.
Exhibitions
Notable exhibitions include:- Galerie Françoise Besnard, Paris
- Exhibition at Sociëteit Duysterghast, Zandvoort
- Goed Wonen Exhibition, Soesterberg
- Gallery Goya, Vejle, Denmark
- Gallery Gebo, Antwerp
- Karel Ruiter Gallery, Amsterdam
- La Brea Gallery, Las Vegas
- In 1998, Tony Mafia exhibited at Leonhard's Fine Arts Gallery in Brasschaat. The bilingual exhibition catalogue, compiled by Annmarie Sauer, is preserved in the library of the KMSKA.
- 'Tony Mafia' Exhibition at Sorghvliedt Castle
- Exhibition at Sorgvliedt Castle The event was accompanied by an illustrated catalogue, now held in the collection of the KMSKA and the Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience.
Collections
Mafia’s work is said to be included in collections of the Louvre Museum, Stedelijk Museum, and private collectors including Queen Elizabeth II, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, James Mason, family collections of artists such as Man Ray and Auguste Renoir and politicians such as François-René de ChateaubriandAccording to gallery materials, he also completed mural commissions in Mexico.Recognition
In 1997, Mafia painted Nello's Dream, a tribute to the Flemish legend of Nello and Patrasche, also known as A Dog of Flanders. As recorded in a 2022 issue of Heemkundige Kring Hobuechen 1135, Mafia identified with the story's themes of early loss and artistic passion, having also lost his father at a young age. He donated the painting to the Hoboken district. Today, the work is on public display in the administrative center of Hoboken.In 2003, the city of Hoboken, Antwerp hosted a retrospective at Castle Sorghvliedt and installed his painting De Bader permanently in its public collection.
In 2009, the anthology Black Sun: tien dichters uit Nederland en Vlaanderen over Tony Mafia was published, featuring poems inspired by his work. Compiled by Hannie Rouweler and translated by Annmarie Sauer and John Irons, the bilingual edition was published by Demer and is held in the collections of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp and the Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience.
In 2010, the City of Antwerp acquired his painting Bust of an African Man for its permanent holdings.
In 2010, Alderson's paintings were the subject of the poetry anthology Vertroosting der dingen: tien dichters uit Nederland en Vlaanderen over schilderijen van Tony Mafia, compiled by Hannie Rouweler and illustrated with works by Alderson. The work is listed in the Nederlandse Poëzie Encyclopedie and appears in bibliographies of regional Flemish–Dutch poetry publications.
Later life and death
Mafia spent his later years between Hoboken, Belgium, and Chloride, Arizona.He died in Hoboken on 10 May 1999. His Belgian funeral, which filled the local church, was described by Pastor Guido Wauters as one of the "sad highlights" of his 37-year tenure in the parish.
He was survived by his wife Annmarie Sauer and several children from previous marriages.
He is buried in Chloride Cemetery, Arizona.
Legacy
Despite growing recognition, a controversy emerged in the 2010s when his painting Nello's Dream was removed from public display in Hoboken.His wife, writer and translator Annmarie Sauer, has continued to feature his artwork in connection with her literary publications. For example, the promotional page for her book *Woestijnwoorden* displays a painting by Mafia clearly credited to him. Additionally, Sauer's biography notes their marriage and also mentions that Mafia was of Haudenosaunee descent on his father's side.
His work remains listed on international art platforms including Artnet, MutualArt and Artprice.
AskART maintains a record of Mafia's signature as well as auction listings of his work.