Zongolopoulos Giorgos

He studied sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1924-1930) with Thomas Thomopoulos. During his studies, he collaborated with architects and painters. From 1930 until the German Occupation, he worked as an architect at the Architecture Department, Ministry of Education, where he designed and constructed school complexes and churches. During a visit to Paris in 1937, he discovered the work of Charles Despiau. In 1949, on scholarship from the French government, he stayed in Paris for a year, working at Marcel Gimond’s workshop; during 1953-1954, he went to Italy on Greek State scholarship to study bronze casting, Etruscan art and the work of great masters, such as Michelangelo, Andrea Pisano, Donatello, Giacomo Manzu and Arnaldo Pomodoro.

In 1936, his first solo exhibition was held at the Stratigopoulos Gallery, followed by solo exhibitions in Greece and other countries and contributions to group and international exhibitions, including Panhellenic exhibitions, the Venice Biennale (1940, 1956, 1964, 1993, 1995) and the Sao Paulo Biennale (1957), Paris Salons as well as the exhibitions of the Association of Greek Artists and groups “Techni” [Art], “Stathmi” [Spirit Level], “Armos” [Junction] and “Tomi” [Section] as well as the “Group for Communication and Education in Art,” of which he was member.

Especially interested in the integration of sculpture with the environment, he repeatedly collaborated with architects and was awarded in architectural contests and also for works erected or designed for public sites. Among other awards, he received the first award for the Monument for the Women Heroes at Zalongo (1954-1960) in collaboration with the architect Patroclos Karantinos, for the sculpture at the entrance to the Thessaloniki International Fair (1966) and the Monument of the Fallen of the Municipality of Nikaia; also for his designs for the Omonoia Square new layout (1958-1960) in collaboration with the architect K. Bitsios, Klafthmonos Square (1981) and the National Resistance Monument at Gorgopotamos (1986) in collaboration with the architect A. Tombazis, which did not materialise.

A bold and imaginative artist, he began from a realistic depiction of human figures in plaster, marble, stone and bronze, before progressively advancing towards stylisation and abstraction. Since around 1960, he has switched to abstraction, creating constructivist metal works. His materials have progressively expanded to embrace various combinations of nickel, glass, Plexiglas, stainless metal, lenses, springs, nails, pipes, umbrellas, and beams. He also introduced the void into his compositions. Moreover, water, sound and movement all contribute to the overall effect of his works.