Painting of Annie Fratellini from Lola

 

(1932 -1997 )
French clown Annie Fratellini is the granddaughter of Paul Fratellini. Annie carries on the tradition of the famous Fratellini brothers, adapting their routines to her impish feminine character. Each year, on her birthday, her father gave her a different musical instrument: concertina, vibraphone, violin, clarinet, piano, etc. She learned to play them all and uses them in her clowning. In 1972, she co-founded, with her husband: Pierre Etaix, the Fratellini Circus School, and is its artistic director. A unique feature of her school is that it offers artistic and technical training. She directed her own circus, the Ecole Nationale du Cirque in Paris, France. She was an influence on the creators of the Big Apple Circus and Cirque du Soleil.