Visual Arts in Greece: 1950s–1990s - Part 3/6

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 3/6: “From Sculpture to Energy”

(Source: Dr Anna Kafetsi, Catalogue of the exhibition “Metamorphoses of the Modern – the Greek Experience”, National Gallery, Athens, 1992, p. 179-180)

“If painting transcended its fundamental constraints, the two-dimensional bearing surface, by opening out into space, then sculpture was also successful in overcoming the fundamental condition in which it owed its particular nature – that is, the factors of immobility and mass. Greek artists living and creating in Paris and New York and working in major research centers such as the MIT oriented their artistic inquiries towards the relationship between technology, science and art. The movement away from the static and the use of energy (electricity, magnetism, water power) instead of the compact mass of material introduced in certain works was intended to serve a variety of different artistic purposes […] In some three-dimensional works, electric power was used as an additional element against the background of a broader investigation of space and light […] A true metamorphosis in sculpture in terms of the use of energy in its various forms (magnetism, electricity, etc.) came about with the work of Takis, one of the last visionaries and cosmic poets […] Complete insubstantiality of the forms produced in space using pure colour was achieved by works incorporating laser beam devices. Iannis Xenakis was one of the first artists to study – and utilize in multimedia spectacles – the capacity of lasers to produce plastic transformation, with a thread of uniform light/energy responding to the influence of music and other media […] The use of new lighting materials such as neon encouraged fresh formal experimentation and experience and led to a new script in both two- and three-dimensional space […]”

FEATURED ARTITS (PART 3): Takis, Ianis Xenakis, Chryssa, C. Xenakis, P. Xagoraris, Bouteas, Antonakos

Takis (Panayiotis Vassilakis), TELELUMIERE (Telelight), 1964, photo Takis Foundation (up left), Aeolian Signal, 1984, Iron, 750 cm, Athens National Gallery (up right), Le Bassin de Takis, 1988, 49 multicoloured lights (3.50 – 9 m), La Defense, Paris, photo Takis Foundation (down)

TAKIS (PANAYIOTIS VASSILAKIS) (Athens, 1925 – Athens, 2019) was a renowned self-taught artist and inventor. In 1954, he moved to Paris, where he began his “Signals” series – kinetic sculptures that produce musical sounds. In 1959, he presented his first “Tele-Magnetic Sculptures”, which utilized electromagnetic fields to bring the invisible energy ever-present in the universe into tangible form. Light and motion in every manifestation – mechanical, electromechanical, thermal, magnetic, hydrodynamic – were at the core of his work. In 1968-69, during a fellowship at MIT, he created his first “Hydro-magnetic Sculptures”. In the early 1990s, Takis settled in Greece and, in 1993, established the Takis Foundation, Research Centre for the Arts and Sciences in Gerovouno, Attica. He held numerous solo exhibitions, including retrospectives at the Centre National d’Art Contemporain (1972), the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume (1993) and the Palais de Tokyo (2015). Takis also participated in major group exhibitions, such as the Kassel Documenta (1977) and represented Greece at the Venice Biennale (1995). His works are to be found in contemporary art museums and private collections worldwide. (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Iannis Xenakis, Polytope de Mycènes, September 2-5, 1978, Mycenae, duration 1h30min, choirs, chorus of women, orchestra, ensemble of 14 instrumentalists and 6 percussionists, several vocal and instrumental works, illuminations, large anti-aircraft projectors, fireworks, slide projections © Xenakis Family (up) Polytope of Cluny, 1971, Roman baths of the Cluny Museum, Paris, scaffolding, 600 electronic flashes, 3 laser beams (red, blue, green), pivoting mirrors, music of a duration of 24 minutes in Fortran 4 language © Xenakis Family (down left), Diatope (Polytope de Beaubourg), 1978, Georges Pompidou Center, Paris, autonomous pavilion inspired by the Philips Pavilion, 20 ms high, 3 hyperbolic paraboloids maintained by a network of steel cables, translucent red canvas, floor made of glass tiles, 6 columns inside, 4 laser beams, 400 reflecting and rotating mirrors, 1600 electronic flashes, music of La Légende d’Eer (7 tracks, 46 minutes), © Xenakis Family (down right)

IANNIS XENAKIS (Braila, Romania, 1922 – Paris, 2001) was a Greek-French architect, mathematician, and one of the most influential European composers of the 20th century. In 1937, he left Romania for Greece and participated in the Greek resistance during World War II. After graduating from the Athens Institute of Technology in 1947, he was exiled from Greece due to his political activities. He then moved to Paris, where he worked for 12 years with the renowned architect Le Corbusier. In his 30s, Xenakis shifted his focus to music composition. He was a pioneer in applying mathematical concepts to music, including set theory, stochastic processes, and game theory. Xenakis also played a key role in the development of electronic and computer music. His work often bridged music and architecture, designing compositions for existing spaces and creating architectural designs tailored to specific musical works and performances. Xenakis referred to a series of shows that combined music, light, and architecture as “polytopes”, offering a total sensory experience. These shows, produced between 1967 and 1978, took various forms depending on the venue and equipment used, but all shared a common vision that synthesized the artistic universe of their creator. (Source: Iannis Xenakis official w ebsite)

Xenakis exhibition at EMST in collaboration with the Athens Conservatoire Centre for Research and Documentation

Chryssa (Vardea), Neon box, before 1980, Neon and plexiglas, 48 x 38 cm, Athens National Gallery (up left), Times Square, 1970 – 1973, Mixed media and Plexiglas, 275 x 245 x 22 cm, Athens National Gallery (up right), Cityscape Times Square #2, 1988, Cell-form aluminium, metallic colour and neon, 223.52 x 314.96 x 73.66 cm, EMST (down left), Mott Street, 1983, influenced by Chinatown in Manhattan, aluminium and neon, 358 x 226 x 135 cm, since 2004 at Evangelismos metro station, Athens (down right)

CHRYSSA (VARDEA) (Athens, 1933 – Athens, 2013) studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris (1953-54) and the San Francisco School of Fine Arts (1954-55). In 1955, she settled in New York. A distinctive feature of her work was her exploration of writing and its visual possibilities, disregarding the content. Starting in 1962, she began working with neon lights, combining the material with technology and incorporating impressions inspired by New York. Her experiences, drawn from the metropolitan landscape and technology, fueled her inexhaustible inspiration. Chryssa’s first solo exhibition in 1961 at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York was followed by many exhibitions in Greece and internationally, including at the Moma, the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum, the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. She also participated in major events, such as the São Paulo Biennale (1963, 1969) and the Venice Biennale (1972). (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Constantinos Xenakis, Commands H H B, 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 81 cm, Athens National Gallery (up left), Code de la route, 1994, Box, mixed media, 42 x 58 x 10,5 cm, Athens National Gallery (up right), Exhibition space at the Contemporary Art Museum ‘‘Constantin Xenakis’’ (down)

CONSTANTINOS XENAKIS (Cairo, 1931 – Athens, 2020) moved to Paris in 1955, where he studied architecture and interior decoration at the École Supérieure d’ Art Moderne (1955-57) and painting at the Académies de la Grande Chaumière and Notre Dame des Champs (1957-63). In 1970, he went to Berlin on a D.A.A.D. scholarship. After 1995, he divided his time between Paris and Athens. Xenakis began his artistic journey with abstract expressionism before moving on to photokinetic art, environments, and happenings. His work is characterized by his acquaintance with the Egyptian, Arabic and Greek cultures, from which he borrowed elements of writing and symbols. He often combined these with road signs, creating a personal and distinctive art based on signs. Xenakis participated in several Parisian Salons and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, the Paris Biennale (1963) and the Brussels Europalia (1982). In May 2022 the Contemporary Art Museum ‘‘Constantin Xenakis’’ was inaugurated in Serres, Northern Greece. (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Pantelis Xagoraris, Kinetic Sculpture, 1963-1970, Plexiglas, iron, motor and plastic base, 37 x 15 x 15 cm, EMST (up left), Projection in Space (Irregular red nematoid construction), 1966, Thread, aluminum, bronze, 35 x 65 x 34 cm, EMST (up right), Computer drawing in ink, 1973, Ink on paper, 31 x 27 cm, EMST (down left), Luminous Quadrangle-Computer Image, Screenprint, 64 x 192 cm, Athens National Gallery (down right)

PANTELIS XAGORARIS (Piraeus, 1929 – Athens, 2000) studied painting at the School of Fine Arts (1948-50) and mathematics at the University of Athens. In 1973-74, on a grant from the Ford Foundation, he worked at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT, exploring the relationship between art and mathematical concepts. In 1981, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on “Geometric Transformations and Form”, and in 1995, he became a professor in the Architecture Department at the Technical University of Athens. Initially adopting expressionist models, Xagoraris later moved on to abstract compositions based on geometric shapes. In 1963, he created the first mobiles in Greece, and later introduced computers into his work, publiing related articles and studies. A founding members of the group Processes-Systems, Xagoraris presented his work in numerous solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including Europalia in Brussels (1982) and the Kassel Documenta (2017). (Source: National Gallery of Athens)

Yannis Bouteas, Transformation #4, 1974, silver print on paper (20×21), The American College of Greece (up left), Plan in 4 Elements, 1991, Sheet metal, pencil, string, 18 x 336 x 8 cm, Athens National Gallery (up right), Untitled, 1974-1980, String, neon, iron sheets, Variable dimensions, EMST (down)

YANNIS BOUTEAS (Kalamata, 1941) studied printmaking at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1959-64) and continued his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1966-70), where he lived for ten years. His work includes constructions and installations, with light – wether natural or artificial – serving as his primary expressive medium, often in the form of neon tubes. The poor materials he selects (ropes, strings, stones, iron sheets, playdough, rubber, asphalt, and later mirrors), retain their autonomous expressive and conceptual power while becoming part of a larger artistic gesture. His compositions are typically spread across the floor or walls. Bouteas participated in the art group Processes-Systems (1976) and has presented his work in numerous solo exhibitions. He represented Greece at the São Paulo Biennale (1981), the Venice Biennale (1990), and the Kassel Documenta (2017). In 2007, he created the work Layerings-Energy Images XVI for the Kerameikos station of the Athens Metro. (Source: Contemporary Greek Art Institute, ISET)

Stephen Antonakos, Red Neon from Wall to Floor, 1967, Neon, steel holds, 300 x 360 x 420 cm, EMST (up left),Four Incomplete Red Neon Circles on a Pink Wall, 1977, Neon, paint, wall, 275 x 183 cm, EMST (up right), White Cube with Blue and Red Neon, 1982, White Varathane paint on wood, neon, 94 x 91.5 x 91.5 cm, EMST (down left, Procession, 2000, Ampelokipoi Metro station of Athens (down right)

STEPHEN ANTONAKOS (Agios Nikolaos, 1926 – New York, 2013) moved to New York with his family in 1930. In the late 1940s, after returning from the US Army, he established his first studio in New York’s fur district. From the early 1960s onward, he worked in studios in Soho. His work with neon introduced new perceptual and formal meanings to the medium. Using spare, complete, and incomplete geometric neon forms, his work ranged from direct 3-D indoor installations to painted canvases, walls, back-lit panels with painted or gold surfaces, as well as rooms and chapels. Beginning in the 1970s, he installed over 55 architecturally scaled, permanent public works in the USA, Europe, Israel, and Japan. Throughout, he conceived each work in relation to its site—its scale, proportions, and character— as well as to the space it shares with the viewer. Antonakos’s work has been featured in hundreds of solo and group exhibitions in New York, across the USA, Europe, and Japan. His large-scale neon installations were exhibited at the Kassel Documenta (1977, 2017), the São Paulo Biennale (1987), and the Venice Biennale (1997). His work is held in the collections of major museums worldwide. (Source: https://stephenantonakos.com/)

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