He studied sculpture at Michalis Tombros’s workshop at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1950-1953) as well as engraving and interior design at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts (1960-1963). He also learned the art of bronze casting at Bruno Bearzi’s Art Foundries. He studied the work of great Renaissance sculptors and extended his knowledge of contemporary sculpture by travelling to several countries. In 1963, he collaborated with the architect Walter Gropius in the production of the decorative reliefs in the University of Baghdad. He has won various prizes, including the gold medal of the Alexandria Biennale (1968). He has worked in art restoration as well as a secondary education teacher.
His exhibition activity includes solo exhibitions and participation in group events in Greece and other countries, among them Panhellenic exhibitions, the Moscow International Exhibition (1957), the Alexandria Biennale (1968) and the Sao Paulo Biennale (1969).
The axis of Vangelis Moustakas’s work is the human figure. Personal experience or social and historical events provide his points of reference. The product of free inspiration or public commissions, his work is characterised by diversity and blends elements of ancient Greek sculpture and contemporary styles as well as treating the void as an integral part of the sculpture.
Aphroditi Liti studied sculpture, mosaic and fresco at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1972 to 1978 under Yannis Pappas, Kostas Kolefas and Konstantinos Xynopoulos. She attended classes at the Universita degli Studi in Milan in 1978, and went on to do postgraduate work on a Greek government scholarship at London University.
Her exhibition record consists of solo shows and participation in group shows in Greece and abroad. These include “Memories-Recreations-Quests” in 1985, the Pan-Hellenic Exhibition of 1987, the Alexandria Biennale in 1991, “SPIRA I” in Madrid and the International Sculpture Symposium on Thassos in 1992, “The Tree” in the Averoff Museum in Metsovo in 1994, “On Nature, Mimesis and Art” and “Natura Mater Artis” in Athens in 1996, “Pandora’s Box” in the Antiken Museum in Basel, and others.
Drawing her inspiration from nature, Aphroditi Liti transforms reality into outsized images, elements from the natural world that reside on the ground or are suspended. She creates poetic environments of leaves, nuts and fruits, flowers, beetles, lizards, trees and branches with birds, and other incidents of nature. But when her birds perch on bare branches and defoliated trees and the fruits’ core is ablaze, this oneiric atmosphere becomes a protest against humankind’s catastrophic intervention. Various metals, mirrors, mosaics, marble, stone and plaster are the mediums she uses to remodel images of the natural world. She utilizes her knowledge of sculpture and mosaics, frequently enhancing classical techniques with the possibilities offered by technology, especially neon lighting.
He studied sculpture (1957-1962) at the Athens School of Fine Arts with Yannis Pappas and in the last year of his studies attended bronze casting and plaster moulding classes at the school’s applied art workshop.
From 1965 until 2005 he has been teaching at the National Technical University of Athens, Department of Plastic. He has produced public monuments and won many awards and distinctions, including the Burckhardt Academy gold medal (1974) and the ECU silver medal in Brussels (1993).
He has made solo shows and contributed to group exhibitions, including Panhellenic exhibitions, the 1969 Sao Paulo Biennale and the Paris Biennale Internationale des Jeunes Artistes, the 1973 Budapest Biennale and 1974 Alexandria Biennale as well as international medal exhibitions.
Giorgos Kalakallas’s sculptural production is distinguished for its thematic as well as stylistic variety. Using marble, bronze, sheet iron, wood and stone, he has made busts, statues, memorials, commemorative medals as well as free sculptures, combining elements from various stylistic sources, tailored to the specific requirements of his subject matter and material. Figuration, always in touch with visual reality, prevails in his busts and commissioned works, whereas his free compositions suggest a partially or completely abstract approach, combining biomorphic, geometric or expressionistic elements in order to establish themselves dynamically in space.
He studied painting (1946-1947) at the Athens School of Fine Arts with Dimitrios Biskinis, Epameinondas Thomopoulos and Umbertos Argyros, and sculpture (1947-1954) with Michalis Tombros. He continued at the Academies of Fine Arts in Florence (1954-1957) and Rome (1958-1961), with Pericle Fazzini and Venanzo Crocetti respectively. In Italy, he associated with prominent artists, such as Giacomo Manzu, Marino Marini, Giorgio de Chirico, Giorgio Morandi and Henry Moore. He travelled to European cities to study in museums. In 1958, he established the first bronze casting workshop at the Athens School of Fine Arts and from 1969 to 1985 was professor at the department of sculpture, at which time he introduced the systematic teaching of theoretical texts.
His work has been presented in solo exhibitions, and a retrospective exhibition was held at the National Gallery in Athens in 1995. He also participated in group exhibitions, including Panhellenic exhibitions, the 1961 Alexandria Biennale, in which he won the gold medal, and the 1979 Sao Paulo Biennale.
A great admirer of Renaissance art with the human figure always as his starting point, Dimitris Kalamaras in his early work remained faithful to the visible reality. Expressionistic elements emerged in his compositions in 1954-1965, and later on his work became more structural, built in geometric volumes – the outcome of extensive study and meticulous measurements, consistent with his faith in order, harmony, symmetry, and in everything that is based on the number principle.
He began his studies with the drawing lessons he took from a Russian colonel in Corfu. In 1815, he enrolled in Pavlos Prossalentis’s school, where he studied for two years, and then went to Venice to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts until 1819. Upon his return to Greece in 1820, he was appointed by the British to establish a School of Fine Arts on the island of Ithaca, following the example of Pavlos Prossalentis’s school; the school, however, remained in operation only until 1824. He was then appointed engineer general for the Ionian Islands and also gave free courses at his workshop in Corfu.
Existing works by Ioannis Vaptistis Kalosgouros include busts and reliefs, characterized by his adherence to neoclassicist ideals as well as to the work of his teacher, Pavlos Prossalentis.
He studied at the Berlin College of Fine Arts with Paul Dierkes (1961-1966). During his stay in the capital city of Germany, he had his own studio; he was also member of the Professional Association of Berlin Artists. From 1975, when he settled in Thessaloniki, he became very active; among other things, he was founding member of the Association of Visual Arts Artists of Northern Greece.
His work has been presented in Greece and internationally, in solo and group exhibitions, including solo exhibitions at the Vafopouleio Cultural Centre in Thessaloniki (1985), the Pierides Gallery in Athens (1988) and the International Festival of Patras (1990); he also participated in the Panhellenic exhibition (1987) and the International Meeting of Sculptors in Caen, France (1991).
Kyriakos Kambadakis’s sculpture revolves around the human figure, which attains symbolic status through works of characteristic titles, such as “Solitude”, “Torso”, “Nike”, “Icarus-Leap”, “Nascencies”. Mostly in wood or bronze, and less often in stone or marble, initially rather static and vividly animated later on, the human figure is subjected to a process of abstraction and expressionistic distortion, diversely manifesting the artist’s existential anxiety.
The sculptor from Asia Minor studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts with Kostas Dimitriadis and Michalis Tombros, and archaeology at the University of Athens. He received many awards in Panhellenic sculpture competitions as well as honorary awards in international events. An artist with diverse interests, he published the poetry collections “Εν Περγάμω” [In Pergamum] (1953) and “Τη Κύπρω” [To Cyprus] (1975); his monograph “Η Ειρηνική παλιννόστηση του Ελληνισμού στη Μικρασία” [The peaceful rehabilitation of Greek populations in Asia Minor] was posthumously published (1992).
His ideology prevented him from presenting his work in solo exhibitions; instead, he participated in group shows, including medal fairs and Panhellenic exhibitions; in 1992, a posthumous retrospective of his oeuvre was held at the Municipality of Athens Cultural Centre.
His place of origin, Pergamos, Asia Minor, and the fascination exerted by the lost Ionian homeland, helped establish the history of the region and its people as the thematic backbone of Vassos Kapantaes’s work. In his strife to give form to the emotions inspired in him by this age-old cradle of civilisations, he employed traditional forms along with contemporary achievements, creating works which vividly evoke archaic art with their stylised, unadorned approach, lack of superfluous elements, focus on the essential, and abstract and cubist blend. The synthesis of all these elements gave birth to artworks of a pronouncedly symbolic, often expressionistic character. The same applies to the artist’s reliefs and medals, which also betray his extraordinary skill in capturing detail.
With his roots in a poor farming family, he took his first painting lessons from the icon-painters in the region. In 1928 he came to Athens, originally working as a designer in the office of the architect V. Kouremenos and then at the scupture workshop of Vasos Falireas. From 1930 to 1934, with the support of the Papastratos brothers, he studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. But his flair for sculpture, led him that same year to Paris. In the French capital he attended lessons at the Colarossi and Grande Chaumiere Academies, working mainly under Marcel Gimond. In 1940, with the outbreak of war, he returned to Greece and was called up. During the German occupation he went back to his village working in the tobacco fields, but without giving up his sculpture. In 1946 he returned to Athens once more where he opened a studio and dedicated himself singlemindedly to his art. In 1962 he settled on Aegina where he spent most of his time. Since 1995 his studio there has functioned as a museum.
He started to exhibit in 1946 with the presentation of his first solo exhibition at Parnassos. This was followed by solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad, as well as a retrospective at the National Gallery in 1981. He also took part in group, Panhellenics and international exhibitions, such as the Biennales of Venice in 1962 and 1972 and Sao Paolo in 1975.
Right from the start his sculpture was focussed on the human figure. Originally using clay, plaster, stone and marble he made single pieces of sculpture or series of works, rendered realistically, having as their source of inspiration ancient Greek sculpture, primarily the archaic period. At the beginning of the Sixties he turned to abstract compositions, but not completely non-figurative. Employing his own technique, he created works made of sheets of copper, in which the deliberate distortion, the fragmentary rendering and the combination of heterogeneous elements had expressionism, surrealism and futurism as their models. He was also interested in objects of everyday use and animal figures and used wood for the creation of compositions inspired by mythology, history and the Christian tradition.
After his father’s death, Georgios Kastriotis and his family moved to Paris. Growing up in an environment in which everybody had artistic pursuits, his inclination for sculpture became apparent from a very early age, when he started modelling miniature figures in clay. In 1917, he enrolled in the Lausanne Engineering School but health reasons only permitted him to attend for two years. In 1926, he decided to study sculpture and within the year was admitted to the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, in Antoine Bourdelle’s workshop. In 1928 though, pressed by his mother in spite of his teacher’s mediation, he returned to Athens. He worked as an art restorer at the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum in 1935-1936. He resigned, however, from these positions in order to devote himself to sculpture. His full-time occupation with sculpture began in 1946, resulting in more than 80 sculptures in his life.
In 1958, his first solo exhibition was held at the Parnassos Hall. He also participated in group and Panhellenic exhibitions, and a posthumous retrospective of his oeuvre was held at the Municipality of Piraeus in 1972.
Focusing on the human figure, especially the female one, Kastriotis produced works of a pronounced monumental character with symbolic overtones. His works blend realistic and expressionistic elements, and Bourdelle’s influence – more evident in his earlier compositions – can be felt mostly in Kastriotis’s treatment of surfaces.
He studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts in 1936-1939 with Thomas Thomopoulos, Kostas Dimitriadis and Michalis Tombros. In 1945, on a French government scholarship he went to Paris to continue his studies. In 1946, he attended courses at the Ecole des Beaux Arts but shortly left in order to become Ossip Zadkine’s pupil at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere. His acquaintance with the sculptor Henri Laurens in 1947 was of decisive importance, as Koulentianos collaborated with him until the latter’s death, in 1954. His works of this period bear the influence of the French sculptor, with whom – beyond the master-pupil relationship – Koulentianos developed close friendship. In 1952, he travelled to Morocco. His impression of the desert found expression in his work. During his eight-month stay in Greece in 1955, archaic Greek sculpture also attracted his attention. In 1961, the writer Roger Vaillant helped him to obtain a workshop at Meillonas Ain, enabling him to create large-scale sculptures. During the same period, his acquaintance with the architect Pierre Dosse stirred his interest in the incorporation of sculpture in architecture.
He was very active regarding presentation of his work in both solo and group exhibitions. His first solo exhibition took place in Casablanca (1952), followed by solo exhibitions in Athens, London, Paris and other European and American cities. Following his death, in 1997, a retrospective exhibition of his work took place at the Couvent des Cordeliers, Paris. He also participated in group exhibitions, including the Salon d’Automne in 1946, the Salon de la Jeune Sculpture and the Salon du mai, as well as the Sao Paulo Biennale (1955) and the Venice Biennale (1964). He also participated in group and Panhellenic exhibitions in Greece.
Koulentianos’s sought to distance himself from academic sculpture, a fact which became evident very early on. His acquaintance with Henri Laurens also contributed to that. During 1947-1952, the French sculptor’s influence was particularly strong in his work. Stylised female figures, seated or reclining, prevail, with accentuated organic curves and motion. In 1952, iron, and metals in general, won him over; his shift from organic towards geometric abstraction was constant, climaxing in the early 1960’s. His production of this period is characterized by geometric forms, which establish themselves dynamically in space and create an effect of motion. In the 1970’s, his “screw” sculptures became his trademark. Curved or flat surfaces of white- or black-painted iron are joined by iron blades, resulting in compositions with clear, dynamic forms conversing with space and light. During 1979-1990, these 3-D compositions evolved in 2-D constructions extending vertically as well as in the “Generations” series, in which the introduction of the void has a major contribution to the overall effect. Besides sculptures and reliefs, he also created collages and tapestries, similar in style to his sculptures.
Of Cypriot origin, he studied in Alexandria, at the Italian Don Bosco Technical School with A. Giannoti. His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions, including Cyprus national exhibitions, the 1970 Alexandria Biennale, in which he won the second prize for sculpture, Greek national exhibitions as well as the contemporary Greek sculpture exhibition “La Sculpture Grecque Contemporaine” in Paris (1991).
Seeking to voice his protest for the dramatic events in Cyprus, Dimitris Konstantinou’s fleeting preoccupation with the depiction of the human figure was based on expressionistic distortion. The introduction of movement became one of his main pursuits in his work. From around 1970, he began to use modular geometric elements and to create sculptural constructions, in which the spectator interacts through touch in transforming the plastic image. His interest subsequently shifted towards combining and developing geometric shapes as well as enhancing his compositions through the use of the void. Rhythmic patterns, simplicity, the harmonious unfolding of volumes, plasticity and architectural organisation are some of the most prominent characteristics in his oeuvre.
He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1946-1950) under Konstantinos Parthenis, Umvertos Argyros and Andreas Georgiadis. In 1953, on a scholarship from the Spanish government, he went to Madrid where until 1956 he continued his studies at the School of Fine Arts there.
Remaining in Spain he became a member of the groups Paso in Madrid and Dal a΄ Set in Barcelona, at the same time developing important exhibition activity. In 1957 he presented a solo exhibition at the Madrid Museum of Modern Art, which was followed by a multitude of solo and group exhibitions in Europe and America, among which were the Biennales of Sao Paolo in 1961 and Venice in 1964 and 1966, in which he took part as a representative of Spain. At the same time, he presented his work in solo exhibitions in Greece. In 1958 he was awarded the National Prize of the School of Graphic Arts of Spain and in 1961 the first prize of the Union of Spanish Art Critics and the silver medal at the “Exhibition for the International Prize of Abstract Art” in Lausanne.
In his work, which combines memories of ancient Greek art and elements taken from the great Spanish painters, done primarily in an abstract expressionist style, he made use, in addition to traditional materials, of wood, paper, fabric and embedded materials, completing the work with gestural interventions on the surface. For a period he abandoned abstract painting and turned to committed art adopting photographic depiction while in the final stage of his creative career he experimented with compositions that are meant to be viewed from both sides.
He spent his childhood and adolescence in Yugoslavia and returned to Greece in 1938. He became involved with painting in 1936, but without taking any formal lessons. In 1947 he went to Italy and a year later to Switzerland, where he studied at the Gewerbeschule in Basil. Then he went to London where he attended lessons at the Slade School of Fine Arts and the Central School of Fine Arts. During the period 1953-1954 he lived in Germany and in 1954 settled in Paris, where he lives and works. He was a coordinator of the group La Ligne et le Signe and organizer of a group of architects and painters for cooperative endeavors. Also involved with art on a theoretical level, he has published many articles and reviews in the Greek and foreign press.
In 1951, while still in London, he took part in a group exhibition for the first time. This was followed by solo shows and other important group exhibitions, both in Greece and abroad.
Starting off with figurative painting done in an expressionistic style, he quickly moved on to abstract expressionism, creating works in which large color surfaces are dominant, but his more recent works, while still reflecting the fundamentals of abstraction, once more contain figurative elements
He studied at the Vacalo School of Art and Design (1973-1976) and worked with the printmaker Vasso Katraki for ten years. Since 1984, he has shown his work in group exhibitions, including the Ljubljana International Biennale of Graphic Arts in 1987; his first solo exhibition was held in the Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens in 1988. In 1995, his work was shown at the Pierides Gallery in the exhibition “Transformations”.
Following an early creative stage in which his activity was equally distributed between sculpture and printmaking, in the early 1980’s his interest shifted exclusively towards sculpture and the concept of form transformation. Adopting mechanistic and constructivist solutions, he synthesises a variety of objects and spare parts, creating sculptures which produce sound, light and movement, in this manner introducing technology in art.
Originally coming from the island of Kefalonia, the sculptor received his first drawing classes with Georgios Papadimitriou-Phaion in 1954. He went on to study sculpture with Yannis Pappas at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1959-1963) and at the same time attended bronze casting and plaster moulding classes with Nikos Kerlis. In 1966-1970, he collaborated with the Archaeological Agency. Among other things, he served as chairman of the Sculptors’ Association and a member of the Central Council of Contemporary Monuments.
His work has been presented in Greek and international solo and group exhibitions, including Panhellenic exhibitions, the 1971 “Biennale Internationale des Jeunes Artistes” in Paris, the Alexandria Biennale in 1974, in which he won the third prize, and the exhibition “Contemporary Greek Sculpture”, held at the Hakone Museum of Art, Tokyo in 1976. He has also participated in many international sculpture symposia.
Dionyssis Gerolymatos works with hard materials – stone, marble, cement – in order to create works of a broad thematic range, the fruit of free inspiration or commissions. His oeuvre is characterized by formalisation, fragmentation, an enigmatic atmosphere and monumentality. Exploring the expressive potential of his material, he creates surrealistic or expressionistic compositions in which he expresses concepts or thought fragments, often giving actual form to lines of poetry. Along with sculpture, he has also been involved in theatre, producing stage sets for the National Theatre of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki and the Greek National Opera in Athens.
He studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts with Yannis Pappas (1954-1959) and on scholarship from the Evgenidis Foundation he continued in Florence, where Bruno Bearzi instructed him in use of metal. In 1975, he received a Ford Foundation endowment. During 1960-1980, he taught drawing at the Doxiadis and Petra schools of art and design.
His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Greece and other countries, including Panhellenic exhibitions. His participations in group events include the Paris “Biennale Internationale des Jeunes Artistes” in 1960, the Alexandria Biennale in 1976, in which he won second prize, and the Venice Biennale in 1984, the “International Exhibition of Contemporary Sculpture” (“Exposition Internationale de Sculpture Contemporaine”) in Paris as well as the exhibition “The Arts in Europe” (“Les Arts en Europe”) in Brussels in 1976, in which he won the first prize.
An exponent of surrealism in sculpture, Georgiadis began his creative career with everyday life scenes. From 1967, the surrealist element increasingly prevailed in his work. In what was to become his main subject – the headless female body, without arms and with feet cut off, the figure wrapped in a piece of cloth from below the chest down to the knees – new, unrelated elements kept being added, such as dolls’ limbs and eyes, whereas other figures, such as Nikes with their wings mutilated, evoke an unreal atmosphere. The distortions suffered by these individual or group figures elevate them into symbols. In the 1980’s, his interest in the symbolic role of the figure shifted towards plastic features. During the same period, moreover, and touched by the Third World tragic situation, he produced a series of works with messages of a distinctive immediacy, using photorealistic or ready-made techniques.
He studied sculpture with Yannis Pappas, Thodoros Papayannis and Giorgos Nikolaidis, and ceramics with Giorgos Georgiou at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1976-1982).
His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Greece and other countries, including Panhellenic exhibitions, the Meeting of Mediterranean Countries, which took place in Marseilles in 1985 and the Fukuhara University, Japan International Sculpture Competition (1996), in which he won first prize.
Carving marble and stone with immediacy and meticulous care, and more seldom using bronze, Kostas Dikefalos seeks to capture clear forms and creates biomorphic, geometric or aerodynamic compositions, exploiting the nature of his materials. Either solid or with apertures in pivotal points, these compositions extend vertically or horizontally, allowing the light to trace the surfaces and highlight the volumes, which often suggest continuous movement.
In his wide-ranging career, he has collaborated with other artists in making public monuments and has taken part in competitions; he has received the second prize for the Greek Resistance memorials in Amfissa (1986), Halkida (1987) and Holargos (1988).
Kostas Plakotaris received his early instruction in painting at Robert College in Istanbul under K.I. Kotis. In 1922, he went to Germany to study at the painting and printmaking workshops of the Reimann Schule, in Berlin, under the modernist painter and member of the Novembergruppe, Moritz Melzer. In Berlin, Plakotaris also studied political and economic sciences. He moved to Athens in 1925, after spending ten months in Paris. In his biography he noted, “The Cubist movement, then flourishing in Germany, influenced me… Yet, I gradually realized that all these movements – Cubism, Constructivism – were limiting me, and I went back to the study of nature and realism.”
Indeed, especially in the works he made during the mid-War period, echoes of the concerns of analytical Cubism and Orfism are evident: The outlines of the figures, while they still remain recognizable, dissolve; there is increased emphasis on the austere geometry of the composition, and colour, sometimes solid and sometimes graded, intensifies the effect of simplification.
Kostas Plakotaris taught art at the Anargyreios School on the island of Spetses (1930-1935); he taught arts and crafts at Athens College (1937-1940, 1950-1959) and technology of materials at ATI [Athens Institute of Technology] (1959-1961). His extraordinary technical qualifications are documented in his book Media and technique in painting and interior design [Υλικά και τεχνική στη ζωγραφική και διακοσμητική] (Athens 1969). He also worked as art editor of the illustrated magazine “Agricultural Future” [Αγροτικόν Μέλλον] (1937-1941). During the same period (1937-1940), he was a member of the artists’ group “Free artists” [Ελεύθεροι Καλλιτέχναι] and from 1945 to 1947 served as secretary general of the Arts Chamber of Greece [KEE (EETE)]. During the German Occupation he joined EAM [the Greek National Liberation Front].
Plakotaris had solo exhibitions of critical acclaim and participated in group exhibitions, including his first solo exhibition at “Romvos” in 1948, exhibitions at “Zygos” (1959, 1961) and “Nees Morfes” (1966, 1968), the posthumous tribute organised by the National Gallery in 1978, a participation in the Venice Biennale (1936), his contributions to exhibitions by the group “Free artists” (1937, 1939, 1940) and the Panhellenic art fairs in 1938, 1939, 1940, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1967, as well as the Salon International de l’Art Libre in Paris (where in 1967 he won the Silver Medal).
