Biography of Gotz Doll Artist ANNE MITRANI

According to the 1997 Götz catalog, doll artist *Anne Mitrani* was born in *Paris*, *France*; after completing her studies in stage design, she painted theatre sets.1,3 In 1970, while living in a village in South France, Anne took lessons in sculpture, where she would eventually meet her husband (and biggest supporter), Kim.1 Together, Anne and Kim have two daughters, *Clementine* and *Mirabelle*.1

Anne Mitrani's highly sought after ***character dolls*** are exquisitely and beautifully made; the incredible, life-like realism of her rare, limited edition, hard-to-find dolls can sell for thousands to tens of thousands of dollars a piece. Mitrani, who began her partnership with Götz in 1996 with the release of her first reproduction, **ZOÉ**, continued to design her Götz dolls until 2003.

## *Inspirations*

In 1981, a meeting with friend and creative doll artist *Abigail Brahms* inspired Anne towards a major turning point in her life.1,3 Her earlier dolls were designed as either young girls or older ladies.1 Inspired to turn inwards, towards the "world of childhood," her later dolls would be designed as children.1 Here, in a world of expression and fragility of feeling, Anne created her childlike children.1 The ability for herself to create her own works that could express human beings along with their wide range of emotions, serves as the inspiration behind all of Anne's masterpieces.1

Anne describes *how* her dolls have evolved in their expressions over time in the following statement:

> *My first children were melancholy, almost deeply grieved - sometimes surrounded by a strange sadness. Step by step, the children changed. Then the moment of a fleeting smile comes. Then I integrated this expression completely and the smile developed to cheerfulness. From then on their lips were slightly open and their teeth hardly visible.1*
>
>

In 1984, Anne, fascinated with redheaded children's transparency and color of skin, began to create her redheaded children, all with freckles.1 Anne's 2003 dolls, **CAPUCINE** and **MYRTILLE**, were designed in the likeness of two sisters who lived and played in the gardens near Mitrani's neighborhood in France.3 **CAPUCINE** and **MYRTILLE** reflect these two sisters apparent and immense closeness and sheer joy.3 It is incredible to learn that Anne does not sculpt her dolls from portrait photographs or stills; instead, she prefers to sculpt her dolls from the close observation and memory these children make on her.2,3

## Artist Quotes

The following are word-for-word quotes, directly from *Anne Mitrani*:

* *My husband has always been with me, encouraging me to regain my self-confidence when I had none and protected my fragility with his thoughtfulness and calm.1*
* *From the world of children, I receive energy to create my one-of-a-kinds.1*
* *Zoé is a happy and impish girl, ready to share her happiness. And when I see her sitting together with one of her many sisters, leaning on each other, the two Zoés become twin sisters, alike and different simultaneously. I love this undefinable frontier between what is visible for the eyes and what is visible for the heart.1*

## More About Her Gotz Collection

Anne Mitrani's Götz dolls have two different doll body types: ZOE is what is referred to as a "sitting" (i.e. her knees are sculpted "bent" meaning she cannot stand unaided) WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE doll; her later dolls, MARGOT, CAPUCINE, and MYRTILLE are fully posable, WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE VOLL BEWEGLICH dolls. Each of Anne Mitrani's Gotz dolls will be numbered with their year of production and signed by Anne.

## Index of Götz Dolls

The following dolls were designed by *Anne Mitrani* for Götz; simply click on the doll's name (which contains a hyperlink) in the tables below to be redirected to that doll's individual article.

1997 ART INDEX

1998 ART INDEX

***Note: In 1998, ANNE MITRANI's doll was available in a separate catalog.***

2003 ART INDEX
 MYRTILLE | 54cm/21.5 inches

## For Further Reading

You may find the following pieces helpful in learning more about Anne Mitrani:

1. *Dolls, Contemporary Works of Art, The French Artists,* by Francoise Theimer and Michel Voinier; *POLICHINELLE Publications.*

## Article References

1. This information comes from the 1997 Götz catalog.

2. This information comes from a *Worthpoint.com* listing description.