Vikatos Spyros

On a scholarship from the Metropolitan of Athens, Germanos Kalligas, he studied at the School of Art (1896-1900), painting under Nikephoros Lytras and Spyridon Prossalentis and sculpture under Georgios Vroutos. He completed his studies in Munich (1900- 1905/1906) under Nikolaos Gyzis and Ludwig von Lofftz on a scholarship from the Petrakis Monastery and E. Vallianou. In 1909 he was appointed Professor of Sketching at the Athens School of Fine Arts where he taught until 1939.

He started to exhibit early, presenting his work in solo, group and international exhibitions: of these the Glaspalast in 1905, the International Exhibitions of Bordeaux in 1907 (gold medal), Rome in 1911, Paris in 1937 and the Venice Biennales of 1934 and 1936 are the most notable.
In 1937 he was awarded the National Prize for Arts and Letters, while in 1951 the Munich Academy of Fine Arts elected him an honorary member. In his will he established the “”Vikateios Scholarship”” for students at the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Academy of Munich respectively.

Remaining faithful to the teachings of the German academic tradition, he painted mainly portraits. On a more limited scale, he also worked with historical and religious subjects, did still lifes, landscapes and scenes from everyday life. Elderly figures hold a special place in his work; he rendered them isolated or in the context of larger compositions, and they are intensely psychographic.