Ion Valentin Anestin (December 24, 1900 – December 6, 1963) was a Romanian graphic artist, engraver, painter, sculptor, journalist and dramatist. Noted as a caricaturist and art critic, he was the father of Ion Nuni Anestin, himself a visual artist and actor.
Biography
Born in Bucharest to a family originating from Craiova, he was the son of Theodor Anestin, a draftsman employed by the Bucharest Mayor's Office, and the grandson of Ion Anestin, an actor noted for his friendship with the dramatist Ion Luca Caragiale.[1][2] One of his uncles, Victor, was an astronomer, and another, Alexandru, a journalist.[2] In 1918–1920, he attended the Bucharest Fine Arts Academy, where he was taught by the sculptor Franz Storck, and then moved on to the Free Art Academy, founded by painter Arthur Verona.[1][2]
After 1921, Anestin became a theater and art gallery chronicler, while authoring various theater plays.[2] It was during the period that he also became noted for his satirical cartoons and portraits,[1][2] heavily influenced by the French school of drawing.[1] Together with writer Mircea Eliade, Ion Valentin Anestin published the magazine Est-Vest, which was established in 1927 and ceased its existence after only a couple of issues.[3]
