Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s - Part 2/6

Modernism in Greek visual arts has been a dynamic and evolving field throughout the 20^th century, shaped by the country’s rich cultural heritage, political changes, global influences and the advent of new media and technology. It is characterized by the exploration of abstraction, experimental techniques, and the use of modern materials, offering a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of Greek identity, history, tradition and modernity. Through a series of articles, Greek News Agenda presents a brief panorama of the Greek visual art scene in the second half of the 20^th century. The articles are based on the catalogue of the landmark exhibition at the National Gallery “Metamorphoses of the Modern – the Greek Experience”, curated by Dr. Anna Kafetsi (14.5-13.9.1992). The exhibition aimed to address the complex question: “Does a Greek modernism, in fact, exist? And if so, what is its character?” More than 100 Greek artists—both from the Greek metropolis and the Diaspora—were featured in the exhibition and selected for their “autonomous plastic language”. About 50 artists, key figures of the post-war Greek visual art scene, are explored in greater depth in the series.

Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s – Part 2/6: “From Painting to the Object”

(Source: Dr Anna Kafetsi, Catalogue of the exhibition “Metamorphoses of the Modern – the Greek Experience”, National Gallery, Athens, 1992, p. 155-6)

“Until 1960, the painted work was confined within a frame […] Numerous artists attempted in a variety of ways to transcend the fixed outline determined with exactness by the frame as the boundaries of the area in which the artist could intervene and to bring paining out into free space […] The “stretched canvas” of conventional picture is treated as if it were itself the living body of painting. This creates a new, direct and physical relationship between the artist and his materials […] What is of interest is not the outcome but the act which leads to it. The creative process is an act of self-confirmation, and the result produced is suitable for use as a sign and as a reminder of a “poetic” gesture which is as free as it is ephemeral. The work of art has become an object whose form depends on random movements obedient to more profound impulses and body-rhythms […] Artists no longer hesitated to use discarded and worthless objects, which, despite their initially negative references, were transformed into aesthetic products – yet only within the bounds permitted by the institutional areas in which they were shown and consumed […]”

FEATURED ARTISTS (PART 2): Caniaris, Daniel, Kontos, Kessanlis, Samaras, Tsoklis, Akrithakis, Pavlos, Kounellis

Vlassis Caniaris, Hopscotsch, 1974, Installation including six human figures, metal bird cage and chalk tarpaper, Friedericanum, Kassel Documenta 14, 2017, photo Mathias Voeltzke, EMST (top), Space within Space, 1960, Plastered pieces of paper on metallic net, placed on metallic frame, metallic rods and black cloth, 111 x 189 x 4 cm, EMST (lower left), Aspects of racism II, 1970, Sculpture/ 3D object, Plaster, 15 x 125 x 30 cm, EMST (lower right)

VLASSIS CANIARIS (Athens, 1928 – Athens, 2011) studied at the Medical School for five years before turning to the School of Fine Arts (1950-1955). He lived in Rome (1956-60) and Paris (1960-67). After returning to Greece, political circumstances forced him to return to Paris in 1969. His work on Emigrants, a milestone in his career, led him to Berlin on a scholarship from D.A.A.D. (1973-1975). In 1976 he settled permanently in Greece. Drawing inspiration from social and political conditions, and abandoning traditional painting on canvas, embraced the doctrines of New Realism, Arte Povera and the art of the object. He created environments and constructions from real materials, setting up “spaces” with puppets and objects. His works featuring amputated dummies and plaster body parts symbolized the societal constraints faced by Greeks after the 1967 military coup, and became symbols of resistance against political oppression. His Immigrants series (1971–1976), developed in Paris and Berlin, focused on the stories and conditions of guest workers, exploring themes of displacement, social exclusion, national identity, and contested citizenship. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including the Kassel Documenta (1977 and 2017), Europalia in Brussels (1982), and the Venice Biennale (1988). (Source: National Gallery of Athens, EMST)

Military Dictatorship (1967-1974) in retrospect: The Greek visual arts scene

Daniel (Panagopoulos), Box, 1965, Cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, industrial paint, 144 x 60 x 28 cm, Athens National Gallery, (left), Homage to Goya, 1965, Acrylic on cardboard, 109 x 138 x 34 cm, Athens National Gallery (right)

DANIEL (PANAGOPOULOS) (Pyrgos, Ileia 1924 – Rio, Achaea 2008) initially studied medicine (1943-1944) but abandoned it to pursue the School of Fine Arts (1944-1947). He received a scholarship to Paris (1954-57), where he was introduced to abstract art and developed a close relationship with Pierre Restany, a proponent of Nouveau Réalisme. During this period, he created his first series of boxes using cheap, everyday materials, which he painted in ordinary colors, and punctured, tore and crumpled. Later, he created compositions influenced by hard-edge painting, optical, and kinetic art, before returning to flat surfaces. Daniel held his first solo show at the Galerie J in Paris in 1964, followed by numerous solo exhibitions in France, Greece and other countries. He also participated in group exhibitions, such as “Three Proposals for a New Greek Sculpture” at the Teatro le Fenice in Venice (1964), in the framework of the Biennale, the São Paolo Biennale (1965) and Europalia (1982). (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Dimitris Kontos, Cubes, 1965, 27 wooden cubes painted with ink, 10x10cm each, CAN Christina Androulidaki Gallery (left), Feet from the Devotional Series, 1975, Aluminum, copper and bronze, 121 x 75 cm, Athens National Gallery (right)

DIMITRIS KONTOS (Tripoli, 1931 – Thessaloniki, 1996) studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1950-1955). In 1958, he moved to Rome, where, along with other Greek artists, he founded the avant-garde Gruppo Sigma (1959). After a brief stay in Paris (1961-1964), he returned to Greece. Kontos employed a unique gestural style, often in a spiral pattern, with pencils or watercolours on paper. His creation of plastic space through gesture and material alluded to both natural phenomena and the energy produced by the human body. In 1975, he exhibited Latreftika, inspired by the offerings made by believers to churches. He participated in exhibitions of the so-called ‘60s Generation of Greek Diaspora artists and solo exhibitions. A retrospective was held at MOMus in Thessaloniki in 2007. (Source: Contemporary Greek Art Institute, ISET)

Nikos Kessanlis, Crumpled Cloth, 1961, Mixed media, 65 x 54 cm, EMST, EMST (top left) Figure, 1965, Photograph on processed cloth, 100 x 90 cm, EMST (top right), Gesture, 1961, Plaster, 18 x 48 x 40 cm, EMST (lower left), Erotic, 1976, Photographic reformation on processed cloth, 126.5 x 192 cm, EMST, (lower right)

NIKOS KESSANLIS (Thessaloniki, 1930 – Athens, 2004) studied painting at the School of Fine Arts (1950-1955), and continued his studies in Rome, where he created the Gruppo Sigma. In 1958, Kessanlis exhibited his first informal work at the Venice Biennale. In 1959, he decided to settle in Paris, where he developed a cordial relationship with Pierre Restany. In 1981, he was elected professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts and settled permanently in Athens. A restless artist who never stopped experimenting with techniques and methods, Kessanlis transcended traditional painting materials and remained at the forefront of the avant-garde throughout his career, moving from informal art to mec art, and later creating photomechanical works on sensitized cloth or cement. He participated in several international exhibitions, including the São Paolo Biennale (1961), the Mercato d’Arte in Florence !964), the Venice Biennale (1988), and the Olympiad of Art in Seoul (1988). (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Lucas Samaras, Book 4, 1962, Book with pins, table knife, scissors, razor blade, metal foil, piece of glass and plastic rod, 14 x 22.5 x 29.2 cm, © 2024 Lucas Samaras, MoMA (top left), Auto Polaroid, 1969-71, Five color and four black and white instant prints (Polacolor and Polapan), each 9.5 × 7.4 cm, overall 37.2 × 30.5 cm, MoMA (top right), Hebraic Embrace, 1991-2005, Installation, Wood, mirror, iron, 525 x 525 x 275 cm, EMST (lower)

LUCAS SAMARAS (Kastoria, 1936 – New York, 2024) was a major contemporary artist known for his innovative approach to a variety of media, including photography, sculpture, drawing, and installation. He moved to the United States in 1952 and eventually settled in New York, where he became an influential figure in the art world. A consistent theme in his work is transformation—whether through his manipulation of the self-portrait, his shifting of spaces with mirrors, or his morphing of materials. Samaras developed his “photo-transformations” in the 1960s, a series of manipulated photographs of himself. He is also well-known for his mirrored room installations, and his “box” sculptures, which are filled with a variety of materials meant to symbolize a world of contained experiences. Samaras represented Greece at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 with the multi-installation “PARAXENA“. His works have been shown in major museums and galleries worldwide. (Source: MoMA)

Costas Tsoclis, Sky, 1970, Sculptural Installation, Water taps, wood, barrel, rubber pipes and oil- paint on Plexiglas, Variable dimensions, EMST (left), Medea, 1989, Colour video projection with sound on three three-dimensional paintings 500 x 375 cm each, 3 projectors, synchronisation mechanism, Duration 45΄, EMST (right)

COSTAS TSOCLIS (Athens 1930) studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1948-1954), and in Rome (1957-60). From 1960 to 1970, he worked in Paris. At the invitation of D.A.A.D., he went to Berlin (1971-72). Until 1983 he divided his time between Athens and Paris, settling permanently in Athens in 1984. An artist fond of experimenting, Tsoclis has created works that illustrate different directions and trends, combining painting with elements from outside the medium, reality with optical illusions, art with technology, and video. Ηis work has been featured in more than eighty solo exhibitions and in numerous group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, primarily in European cities, including the Venice Biennale (1986). In 2010, the Costas Tsoklis Museum was established on the island of Tinos. (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Alexis Akrithakis, Untitled, 1972 – 1982, Mixed media, 101 x 104 cm, Athens National Gallery (left), Silence of Metal, ca. 1976 – 1977, Wood and metal, 79 x 113 cm, Athens National Gallery (right)

ALEXIS AKRITHAKIS (Athens 1939 – Athens 1994) never took formal lessons. His acquaintance with the philosopher Giorgos Makris led him to a systematic involvement with art. From 1958 to 1960, he lived in Paris, and in 1968, he went to Berlin on a scholarship from D.A.A.D., remaining there until 1984. A restless and rebellious figure, Akrithakis rejected all forms of compromise and made art out of life itself. His early works included linear compositions in black-and-white, known as “tsiki-tsiki”. Later, he began to use specific expressive symbols, such as the sun, fire, eye, bird, heart, helicopter, airplane, row-boat, and arrow. There was also the suitcase, a repeated symbol of eternal escape. His work was exhibited in various European galleries, including that of Alexandros Iolas, and he participated in numerous group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. Akrithakis was also involved in book illustrations and theater costumes. (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Pavlos (Dionyssopoulos), Wings, 1970, Poster paper and plexiglass, 74 x 74 x 209 cm, MOMus (left), Coat and hat, ca. 1979, Affiches massicotees (poster clippings), 125 x 32 cm, Athens National Gallery (right)

PAVLOS (DIONYSSOPOULOS) (Filiatra, 1930 – Athens, 2019) studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1949-1953). In 1958, he moved to Paris, where he settled. His work was largely influenced by the New Realists and Pierre Restany. He chose printed paper (mostly by posters) as his primary material and cut it into fine strips using a machine (affiches massicotés). The layout of the strips formed undulating surfaces, where colours and material united to create figurative images or objects in three dimensions, often to the point of visual illusion, as well as spatial installations (curtains, columns, forest, flags, etc.). His first solo exhibition was held in Paris at Galerie J in 1964, and he later exhibited in major European galleries. He participated in significant events abroad, such as the Avantgarde Griechenland (Berlin, 1968), the Venice Biennale (1980), and Europalia in Brussels, 1982). His project Football Players is located at the ‘Omonia’ station of the Athens Metro. (Source: Contemporary Greek Art Institute, ISET)

Jannis Kounellis, Untitled, 2000, Sculpture/ 3D object, Iron plates, iron shelves, burlap sacks, coal, coats, shoes, steel, ropes, 200 × 362 × 50 cm, EMST (top left), Installation view of the exhibition at the Museum of Cycladic Art, 2012, photo Manolis Barboussis (top right), Untitled, 2004, Installation, Iron, coal, wooden boards, tripods and burlap sacks, Variable dimensions, EMST (lower)

JANNIS KOUNELLIS (Piraeus, 1936 – Rome, 2017) settled in Rome in 1956, where he studied at the Academia di Belle Arti. Since 1967, after participating in the exhibition “Arte povera e Im Spazio” at the Galleria La Bertesca in Genoa, he became associated with Arte Povera and was named one of its key representatives. Even in the early period of his art, Kounellis used objets trouvés and ‘humble’ materials (soil, coal, hessian sacks, wool, iron, stone, etc.), but also live animals, fire, gold, and more. Gradually, he developed a new artistic language that combined various expressive media with constructional, theatrical and ritualistic elements, organized in large multifaceted installations. He presented numerous solo exhibitions in Europe and the U.S.A., held at major art galleries and museums. He also participated in group exhibitions and international events, such as the Paris Biennale (1967, 1971, 1969), the Kassel Documenta (1972, 1977, 1982), and the Venice Biennale (1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1993). (Source: Contemporary Greek Art Institute, ISET)

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