I “inherited” my love of the ancient world from Nikolaou and the European way of looking at colours and nature from Moralis. P.S.
1967, 30 × 40 cm, watercolour on paper
1967, 50 × 35 cm, watercolours on paper 588
I don’t remember exactly when, because I’ve always been painting. I was only six, in first grade, and already they were calling me “the painter”, because I never painted like a child. At nine I was drawing El Greco paintings and at twelve, on my own, without really knowing anything, I would actually copy paintings by El Greco or other painters. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been painting. And then at the age of twelve or thirteen, I discovered Byzantine art. That was an innate passion; nobody ever initiated me into it. I wasn’t especially churchgoing; I wasn’t what you’d call an “altar boy”. But I was very interested in this atmosphere and in the way religious icons were painted. P.S. Maria Nikolaou, Thessaloniki, 2 April 2007
1967, 49 × 35 cm, watercolour on paper
1967, 35 × 50 cm, watercolour on paper
589
1977, 50 Ă— 35 cm, pencil on paper
590
1976, 50 Ă— 35 cm, pencil on paper
1967, 35 × 25 cm,
1967, 35 × 25 cm, pencil on paper
pencil on paper
1977, 13,5 × 27 cm, ink on paper
1972, 25 × 18 cm, pencil on paper
1972, 18,5 × 15 cm, pencil on paper
1977, 12,5 × 19,5 cm, ink on paper
591
1970, 64 × 46 cm, watercolour on paper
1970, 64 × 46 cm, watercolour on paper 592
1970, 64 × 46 cm, watercolour on paper
1970, 47 × 33 cm, watercolour on paper
1970, 64 × 46 cm, watercolour on paper
1970, 50 × 32 cm, watercolour on paper
1968, 15 × 40 cm, acrylic on paper
1982, 8,5 × 8,5 cm, pencil on paper
1968, 15 × 40 cm, acrylic on paper
1968, 10 × 28 cm, acrylic on paper
1982, 8,5 × 8,5 cm, pencil on paper
1968, 10 × 28 cm, acrylic on paper 593
1964, 25 × 35 cm, pencil on paper
1967, 21 × 29 cm, ink on paper 594
1967, 21 × 29 cm, ink on paper
1967, 21 × 29 cm, ink on paper
1966, 18 × 23 cm, ink on paper 1966, 29 × 22 cm, ink on paper
1966, 29 × 22 cm, ink on paper 1966, 29 × 22 cm, ink on paper 595
1970, 12 Ă— 37 cm, watercolour on paper
596
My first paintings were very abstract. And that was because of the carved reliefs I had studied at Delphi, in the Siphnian Treasury and elsewhere, in whose composition I saw a purely mathematical foundation. There, all shapes had to do with a certain number which circulated in the work, like a magical power. P.S. Kostas Koubetsos, Tachydromos, 1978
1970, 12 Ă— 37 cm, watercolour on paper
597
1971, 9,5 Ă— 7 cm, ink on a cigarette pack
598
1971, 20 × 15 cm, watercolour on paper
1972, 15 × 9 cm, acrylic on paper
599
1971, 12 × 20 cm, ink on paper
1971, 30 × 21 cm, ink on paper 600
1971, 30 × 21 cm, ink on paper
All we want is to come out of galleries and address a wider audience. So we’ve organised a sculpture exhibition which shapes the landscape. The sculptures we’ll be presenting were created after the artists had seen the grounds. P.S. K. D. Lin, Vradini, 1972
1972, metal plate and ropes in the countryside 601
1969, 30 × 45 cm, oil on paper
602
1969, 39 × 30 cm, acrylic on paper
1969, 40 × 30 cm, acrylic on paper
603
1969, 60 × 100 cm, acrylic on canvas
604
1972, 40 × 58 cm, acrylic on canvas
605
1970, 40 × 30 cm, acrylic on paper
606
1970, 40 × 30 cm, acrylic on paper
1970, 40 × 30 cm, acrylic on paper
1971, 7 Ă— 9,5 cm, ink on a cigarette pack
607
A STUDY OF THE COLOURS OF THE ANCIENTS
2013, 21 × 19 cm, watercolour on paper 2013, 21 × 19 cm, watercolour on paper 2013, 33 × 21 cm, watercolour on paper 608
Haris Kabouridis has initiated a challenging discussion regarding the distinctiveness of Pavlos’s work, offering a perhaps unique opportunity to explore with such clarity a contemporary artistic language that draws on deeper, successive layers in order to arrive at the – hitherto considered lost – painting of classical antiquity. And I say “considered lost”, because it is little known for how many hours and over how many years Pavlos has toiled in his studio to deduce, from tiny traces of colour preserved on statues, funerary steles and metopes, the techniques, methods and ethics of Ancient Greek painting. Petros Efthymiou, Painter, November 2014
By studying traditional and ancient painting motifs, I discovered the lost techniques of the past almost single-handedly. I felt it was my duty to pass on this knowledge to young people wishing to learn. P.S.
2013, 33 × 21 cm, watercolour on paper 609
2013, 25 × 31 cm, watercolour on paper
2013, 26 × 32 cm, watercolour on paper
1967, 29 × 21 cm, ink on paper 1967, 29 × 21 cm, ink on paper 610
2013, 26 × 42 cm, watercolour on paper
2013, 25 × 34 cm, watercolour on paper
I resolved not to be modern as defined by contemporary terminology. I believe I’m a devoted preserver of these ideas. Not out of weakness, but because I believe in tradition, always looked at from a different angle, like my teachers. With Byzantium always playing a very important role, influencing me in different ways each time. Εmotionally, schematically, or chromatically. P.S. Maria Nikolaou, Thessaloniki, 2 April 2007
611
2013, 54 Ă— 67 cm, egg tempera on paper 612
2013, 40 Ă— 50 cm, egg tempera on paper 613
I teach my students the fresco and encaustic techniques. I believe these techniques are still alive. Naturally, it’s not just the techniques I want to teach. I try to explore how a now stagnant art, such as Byzantine painting, can move forward. That is, to bequeath technical knowledge but also to have new elements introduced by young people. 2004, 70 × 45 cm, ink on paper
2004, 100 × 110 cm, fresco on plywood
P.S. Fivos Sakalis, Gynaika, June 2006
2002, 40 × 55 cm, egg tempera on paper 614
I feel duty-bound to teach what I have discovered for myself, for the benefit of future generations. P.S.
2013, 90 Ă— 65 cm, acrylic on canvas 615
1980, 60 × 44 cm, studies, egg tempera on paper
After 35 successful years of painterly peregrination in Greece and France, Pavlos Samios decided to teach young people the ancient techniques he has used in his “secular” works: encaustic, fresco, egg-tempera, stained glass. His motto: “Create freely, far from the restraints of the Church.” P.S.
616
Frescoes require an experienced hand, as colours are quickly absorbed by the substratum and the brushstrokes have to be confident, as should the general outline of each composition. Haris Kabouridis, Daily life as a religious icon, 1998
2005, 34 Ă— 20 cm, fresco on plywood 617
2005, 31 × 21 cm, fresco on plywood
2005, 21 × 17 cm, fresco on plywood
The teachers of the Generation of the ’30s had paved the way to a new understanding of Greek tradition in the light of Modern Art. Pavlos Samios did not vacillate, did not ally himself with the gainsayers. Marina Lambraki-Plaka, A native precursor of Modernism, 2002
618
1992, 21 Ă— 16 cm, watercolour on paper
1992, 14 Ă— 19 cm, watercolour on paper
619
2002, 40 × 25 cm, encaustic on wood
1998, 50 × 25 cm, encaustic on wood
1998, 50 × 25 cm, encaustic on wood
2013, 26 × 22 cm, encaustic on wood
2013, 50 × 25 cm, encaustic on wood
It’s wonderful to teach young people. I get the chance to talk with them about different things, about art and life. P.S.
620
1998, 85 × 30 cm, encaustic on wood
1991, 110 × 40 cm, encaustic on wood 621
I avoid perspective. On the one hand because I respect the canvas, which is flat, and on the other because there is no perspective in Byzantine painting. P.S.
… An older technique of painting has captivated the artist and has enriched even further his means of expression – that of fresco painting. An ancient method, used for centuries to paint temples and palaces – places of sanctity and formality – which has almost been forgotten nowadays. Samios revives this method and uses it to advantage. Haris Kabouridis, Daily life as a religious icon, 1998
2005, 60 × 60 cm, frescoes on plywood
622
2005, 60 × 60 cm, fresco on plywood
623
It was a job I did in parallel. I had been attracted to it since childhood; ever since I was twelve years old. I didn’t feel I was carrying on a tradition, but I started because I was interested in learning how it was done. I have always been curious about new techniques and this has helped me enormously in my work. I was curious to know how icon painters applied the glue or the lime, how the Italians did it, and how the Greeks did it. I very rarely paint religious icons nowadays; though I will sometimes do so for small private chapels that belong to friends. Today I teach this technique as a professor at the School of Fine Arts, at the Traditional Byzantine Painting workshop. P.S. Fivos Sakalis, Gynaika, June 2006
1999, 92 Ă— 71 cm, encaustic on wood 624
1980, 14 Ă— 30 cm, egg tempera on paper
2005, 37 Ă— 120 cm, egg tempera on wood
625
626
1968, 48 × 38 cm, fresco on plywood
1968, 37 × 26 cm, fresco on plywood
1998, 30 × 19 cm, egg tempera on wood 627
2000, 48 × 57 cm, watercolour on paper
628
1978, 35 × 35 cm, watercolour on paper
2000, 39 × 26 cm, watercolour on paper
2000, 49 × 43 cm, watercolour on paper
2000, 37 × 49 cm, watercolour on paper
2002, 35 × 46 cm, watercolour on paper
1981, 32 × 37 cm, watercolour on paper
2001, 70 × 70 cm, watercolour on paper
2002, 60 × 40 cm, watercolour on paper
1978, 40 × 40 cm, watercolour on paper
2000, 53 × 53 cm, watercolour on paper
1981, 37 × 37 cm, watercolour on paper
629
1980, 42 × 24 cm, egg tempera on wood 1980, 35 × 20 cm, egg tempera on wood 1974, 31 × 20 cm, egg tempera on wood 630
1981, 45 × 30 cm, egg tempera on wood 1981, 49 × 32 cm, egg tempera on wood
... His own, unique sensitivity, as guided by experience and love, evokes with the naturalness and reflexivity of breathing, the elegance of the colour on a funerary stele for a maiden of the 5th century BC, the Fayum paintings, Byzantine religious icons, and the great Western tradition from Giotto to Cézanne. Petros Efthymiou, Painter, November 2014 631
I don’t think that in order to be a good icon painter, one must believe in God. If I should paint a very beautiful young woman, it does now follow that I’ve created a beautiful painting. P.S.
1976-80, 70 × 53 cm, egg tempera on wood 632
1976-80, 70 Ă— 53 cm, egg tempera on wood 633
1980, 24 × 16 cm, egg tempera on wood
634
2003, 67 × 42 cm, egg tempera on wood
1979, 17 Ă— 22 cm, egg tempera on wood
635
2014, 25 × 18 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2014, 25 × 18 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2014, 25 × 18 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2013, 35 × 25 cm, egg tempera on
wood
I had an affinity for Byzantine painting long before I started painting. It was my first love. It’s like when they say that somebody dies and his soul enters the body of another. I think it was something that existed inside me since I was a little boy. The soul of an old icon painter must have entered my body, because when I was eight or nine, without knowing why and without being much of a churchgoer, I began painting icons. At age twelve I was copying El Greco paintings. At 17, when I entered the School of Fine Arts, I was already an accomplished icon painter, having worked hard in a religious icon workshop as a craftsman. So when Moralis, my teacher, saw the icons I was painting, he couldn’t believe it. This is how the art of icon painting permeated my painting and it’s still there. P.S.
636
2013, 75 × 54 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2013, 75 × 54 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2013, 75 × 54 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2013, 35 × 25 cm, egg tempera on
wood
637
Churches should become more austere, more abstract, more modest. P.S.
2013, 45 × 20 cm, egg tempera on wood
638
2013, 45 × 30 cm, egg tempera on
wood
2013, 75 × 54 cm, egg tempera on
wood
One of the reasons why I decided to teach was to persuade young people to think about and experiment not with icon painting but with the modern painting of religious themes. To disengage themselves from the established order. So then, once they become skilled in all the different techniques, I ask them to create compositions from their mind. They can draw inspiration from any school of painting they wish, as long as the outcome bears their personal seal. P.S.
2007, 50 Ă— 40 cm, egg tempera on wood 639
SAINT CONSTANTINE ANTIPAROS, 2003 Frescoes
640
641
642
643
644
Egg tempera on wood
645
SAINT MYRSINI MYKONOS, 2008 Frescoes
646
647
648
649
650
Egg tempera on wood
651
SAINTS THEODORE MYKONOS, 2005 Frescoes
652
653
654
655
656
Egg tempera on wood
657
THE BLESSED VIRGIN KASSOPITRA CORFU, 2007 Frescoes
658
659
660
661
662
663
SAINT KYRIAKOS PORTO HELI, 2008 Frescoes
664
665
666
667
668
669
SAINTS DEMETRIOS & ATHINA DRAFI, 2000-2001 Frescoes
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
SAINTS ANDREAS & NIKOLAOS EKALI, 1999-2001 Frescoes
678
679
680
681
682
683
We would like to thank the following companies for their contribution to the exhibition:
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY Pavlos Samios was born in Athens on 28 October 1948. He started drawing and painting at a very young age, helping his shoemaker father in his workshop. Religious painting captivated him early on, and he worked at Dionysios Karoussos’s icon-painting studio until he was 18. At the same time, he took drawing lessons at Panos Sarafianos’s studio and was admitted to the Athens School of Fine Arts. He was taught drawing by Nikos Nikolaou and painting by YIannis Moralis. A great teacher of his was also the painter Yannis Tsarouchis, whom he met in Paris in the 1970s. During that time, he was a member of the group of artists and intellectuals who frequented the “Magemenos Avlos” restaurant in Athens. There he met the great composer Manos Hadjidakis, a master of the word and privy to the needs of young people, who encouraged him to think freely. From 1978 to 1992 he lived and worked in Paris. In 2000 he was elected professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts (Traditional Painting Workshop: Fresco - Byzantine icons - Manuscripts). He has painted many chapels using the fresco technique. He has shown his work in 65 solo exhibitions and has participated in major group exhibitions in Greece and abroad. He is married to Maria Xanthakos. He has two daughters from his first marriage, Pandora and Aphaea, who live in Paris.
www.fineartsacademy.gr
www.fineartstrust.com
Lessons in drawing, watercolour, tempera, acrylic and oil painting.
Techniques-Materials-Methods in Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine painting. 685
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2015 The Sea Everywhere. Historical Archives - Museum of Hydra, Hydra 2014 Painting Apology. Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annex), Athens / Curated by Maria Xanthakou 2013 Fethiye Camii, Nafpaktos Pavlos Samios - Diamantis Aidinis. Grace Mykonos, Mykonos (Organised by Skoufa Gallery) 2012 Sections. Apocalypse Gallery, Nicosia On Paper. Skoufa Gallery, Athens Ionian Flora. Skoufa Gallery, Athens Ionian Flora. Cephalonia Botanica, Cephalonia. (Watercolours inspired by the book Ionian Flora: Plants from the Collection of Cephalonia Botanica. Cephalonia: Focas-Kosmetatos Foundation, 2011) 2011 Retrospective exhibition and presentation of the website www.fineartstrust.com Axia Ventures Group Ltd, Athens. 2010 Drawings of Psychological Aspects. Tsichritzis Visual Arts Foundation, Kifissia Two entirely different styles under a starry sky. Pavlos Samios, Manolis Charos. Alma Contemporary Art Gallery, Trikala 2009 Under the moonlight. Eikastikos Kyklos, Athens Paris-Athènes. L’Espace-Centre Culturel Français de Hanoi, Hanoi (Organised by the Greek Embassy) 2008 Each Moment… a Glance. Fine Arts Kapopoulos, Mykonos 2007 Traces on time. Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annex), Athens / Curated by Olinka Migliaresi Varvitsioti Summer 2007. The house of Fotis Kremmydas, Kremmydi, Cephalonia Art Gallery, Alexandroupoli 2006 Chryssa Art Gallery, Katerini And Finally, She Was All Alone… Ekfrasi - Yianna Grammatopoulou Art Gallery, Athens 2005 Femmes d’Athènes. Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris For One Night… Fine Arts Kapopoulos, Alimos 2004 112 = One Artwork = Infinite Life Moments. G. Karydis Fine Arts Centre, Filothei 2002 Sarakatsan Folktales. City of Athens Cultural Center, Athens Samios. Stavros Mihalarias Art - Gallery of Contemporary Art, Athens Samios in London. Κ Gallery, London Samios in Boston: A Reprospective. The Maliotis Cultural Center, Boston Samios in New York. Consulate General of Greece, New York Samios in New York. Foundation for Hellenic Culture, New York 2000 Imaginary Revelation of the Inner and Outer Worlds, Art Athina 8 2000: Contemporary Art Fair. Participation with the Selini Art Gallery, Helexpo Exhibition Centre, Maroussi The Magic Tables. Ekfrasi Gallery, Glyphada 686
1999 Prisma Gallery, Livadeia Selections. Cyclades Gallery, Syros. (As part of the Ermoupolia ’99 events) Skoufa Gallery, Athens Galerie Epreuve d’Artiste, Beirut (in collaboration with Samy Kinge). Nafplio Gallery 30 Years of Painting. Municipal Gallery, Patra / Curated by Olga MentzafouPolyzou 1998 Galerie 4, Chalkida Esotera. Metamorfosis Gallery, Thessaloniki Esotera. Zeta Mi, Thessaloniki 1997 Mystagogic Frescos. Christophorou Sawa Gallery, Nicosia. (Organised by Residence Υiorki - Gallery K.) Municipal Gallery, Mykonos Mystagogic Frescos. Gallery K, London Mystagogic Frescos. Selini Art and Promotion Gallery, Kifissia 1996 From Father to Son. Adam Galleries, Athens The Women Friends. Anny Balta Gallery, Thessaloniki Miniatures of Dreams. Anemos Gallery, Kifissia 1995 Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris Amymone Contemporary Art Gallery, loannina Art Athina 3 ‘95: Contemporary Art Fair. Participation with the Skoufa Gallery, Athens Exhibition Centre 1994 Skoufa Gallery, Athens 1993 Zeta Mi, Thessaloniki Of the Land and of the Sea. Ekfrasi Art Gallery, Glyphada 1992 Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris. 1991 Self-Contained Stories. Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens 1990 Jeux. Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris loni Gallery, Kifissia 1989 Les Ateliers de Montmartre. Espace de Vente, Paris Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris 1988 Zeta Mi, Thessaloniki 1987 Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens 1986 FIAC Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris 1985 Psara: AGET-Heracles Calendar. AGET-Heracles Offices, Lykovrysi 1982 Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris 1978 Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens Mount Athos: AGET-Heracles Calendar. Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2013 Enigma. Skoufa Gallery, Athens / Curated by Elisavet Plessa Offering: Contemporary Greek Artists at the National Archaeological Museum. National Archaeological Museum, Athens / Curated by Manos Stefanidis (Organised by Alliance for Greece) 2012 Images of an Enduring Greece. Golden Hall, Athens / Curated by Manos Stephanidis and Maria Xanthakos (Organised by Alliance for Greece) 2011 Greek Painters Illustrate the Calendars of the Heracles General Cement Company 1956-2009. Benaki Museum, Athens An Exhibition/Tribute to the Oeuvre of Nikos Nikolaidis. Greek Film Archive, Athens / Curated by Pavlos Samios and Maria Xanthakos 2010 Brinies 2010 – Art on the Farm. Brinies Farm, Porto Heli / Curated by Iris Kritikou Tracing Istanbul. The Holy Theological School of Halki, Princes’ Islands. Sismanoglio Megaro, Istanbul. Technopolis, Athens / Curated by Iris Kritikou (Organised by White Fox SA) 2009 5x5x5 at Kremmydi, Cephalonia. The house of Fotis and Melpi Kremmyda, Kremmydi, Cephalonia Teacher and Student-Teachers at the Athens School of Fine Arts. Athens School of Fine Arts (In honor of Yannis Moralis) Contemporary Greek Landscape Painting from the 18th to the 21st Century. The Β & Μ Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts & Music, Athens Greek Painters from the Collection of the National Bank of Greece. The National Art Gallery & the Alexander Soutzos Museum, Athens / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou Greek Colour. Sotheby’s, London / Curated by Mariza Kalogeropoulou-Fassianos (Organised by the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism) Ambassadors of Contemporary Greek Art. Hellenic Museum, Melbourne (Organised by Art & Culture. Under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism) 2008 Approaching Heaven, with Icons from the Velimezis Collection. The Arts Center - Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria. (Organised by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, the Benaki Museum and the Makris-Margaritis Anthivola Collection) Contemporary Greek Painting: The Cangelaris Collection. Psychico Municipal Picture Gallery, Psychico / Curated by Eliza Gerolymatou Paintings - Etchings - Sculptures. Averoff Gallery, Metsovo / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou (2008) Material Links: Greek and Chinese Artists. MoCA, Shanghai. Technopolis, Athens. (2009) National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, Thessaloniki / Curated by Iris Kritikou Experiencing Greece: Travels through an Enchanted Landscape. Hellenic House, Beijing / Curated by Iris Kritikou (Organised by the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism)
Art on the Front Page: 72 Artists Create the Covers for “Athens Voice”. Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annex), Athens / Organised & Curated by Angeliki Birbili 2007 Homeland. Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annex), Athens / Curated by Iris Kritikou Greek Art Today: Twelve Contemporary Artists. Belgravia Gallery, Mayfair, London / Organised by George Stathopoulos Aspects of the Figure, Semantics of the Landscape: Greek Paintings from the Collection of Anthony & Asia Hadjioannou. Chania Municipal Gallery, Crete / Curated by Iris Kritikou The Pathways of Greek Painting. International House of Music, Moscow / Curated by Athena Schina (Organised by Kapopoulos Fine Arts) 2006 20th Century Greek Painting from the Collection of Kostas Ioannidis. Chania Municipal Gallery, Crete / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou Crossing the Borders. State Museum of Contemporary Art, Warehouse B1, Port of Thessaloniki / Curated by Thanasis Moutsopoulos Cow Parade Athens 2006 / Curated by Iris Kritikou Reflections from Greece: Contemporary Art from Greece. National Arts Club, New York. 2005 A Table. Skoufa Gallery, Athens / Curated by Iris Kritikou Vision and Touch: Two Complementary Senses in Contemporary Art. Atrion Gallery, Thessaloniki / Curated by Haris Kabouridis The Art of Greece Meets China. Apothiki Art Center Beijing / Curated by Olga Bati The Collection of George Kostopoulos: Contemporary Greek Painting and Sculpture. Art Gallery, Alexandroupoli. 2004 Close Similarity: Versions of a Portrait of Antonis Benakis. Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annex), Athens. Part of the “Tribute to Antonis Benakis (18731954)” events A City Hosting the Olympic Games. Technopolis, Athens / Curator: Athina Schina (Organised by the Municipality of Athens, as part of the “Olympic Games 2004” events) Reflections from Greece. Absolute Americana Art Gallery, St. Augustine, Frorida The World of the Olive. Saint Mark’s Basilica, Heraklion, Crete / Curated by Athena Schina. (Organised by the Municipality of Heraklion and the Vikelaia Municipal Library of Heraklion) The World of the Olive. Theophilos Museum, Varia, Mytilene / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou and Athena Schina 2003-4 The Οlympic Spirit and Modern Greek Art. Chania Municipal Gallery, Crete. Saint Mark’s Basilica, Heraklion. Moni Lazariston, Thessaloniki. Giorgio da Chirico Art Centre, Volos. Ioannina Municipal Gallery, Ioannina. Municipal Cultural Centre of Athens / Curated by Peggy Kounenaki 2003 New Image Worshipping: A Triumphant Comeback of Pictorial Depiction. Fine Arts Kapopoulos Gallery, Alimos / Curator by Haris Kabouridis – Modern Greek Art Archive 687
Art – The City’s Patron. Ioannina Municipal Gallery, Ioannina / Curated by Haris Kabouridis. (Organised by the Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Ioannina) 2001 The Myth of Women in Contemporary Greek Painting (1930-2001). Vassilis & Eliza Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Modern Art, Andros / Curated by Haris Kabouridis 2000 Personal Relationships. Εkfrasi - Υianna Grammatopoulou Gallery, Athens Bleu Outremer. Vernicos Center for the Arts, Piraeus / Curated by Iris Kritikou and Flavia Nessi-Giazitzoglou 2000 Cans. Pireos Street Lithographic Establishment, Moschato / Curated by Niki Nikonanou L’Oeil de la Galerie Samy Kinge. Selini Art Gallery, Kifissia 1999 The Art of Icons: 1st International Exhibition of Modern Orthodox Iconography Pierides Gallery, Glyfada / Curated by Michalis Angelakis Millennium Tables de Noël. Hotel Athens Plaza, Athens Works from the Averoff Gallery, Metsovo. Municipal Art Gallery of Thessaloniki / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou. (As part of the 34th Demetria events) Fourth International Art Exhibition 2000. The Cathedral Center, New York 1998 Woman-Jewel, Selini Art Gallery, Kifissia The Concept of Automotion by Ten Greek Painters. Municipality of Athens Art Centre, Parko Eleftherias, Athens (Organised by 4 Trochi magazine) Artisticand Literary Parallels. Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights, Rhodes. Aenaon International Centre of Fine Arts. Old Archaeological Museum, Thessaloniki. (Organised by Aenaon) Modern Greek Art from the Collection of Leonidas Beltsios. Larissa Center of Contemporary Art, Larissa / Curated by Dora Iliopoulou-Rogan Kiss Six. Gallery K, London / Curated by Robin Dutt 1997 All that Glitters Is not Gold. Selini Art Gallery, Kifissia Greek Painters 1954-1997: Works from the Heracles General Cement Company Collection. Municipal Art Gallery of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki. New Acquisitions – Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art. Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki. Erotic Paintings. Selini Art Gallery, Kifissia / Curated by Dora IliopoulouRogan. 1996 Masters and Students, Students and Masters. Astrolavos Gallery, Athens / Curated by Manos Stefanidis FIAC Participation with the Galerie Samy Kinge, Grand Palais, Paris A Tribute to Pericles Pantazis. Averoff Gallery, Metsovo / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou Michalis Katzourakis, Paniaras, Samios, Manolis Charos. Selini Art Gallery, Kifissia. 1995 La Jeune Peinture Européenne: L’Αrbre. Galerie Yahia, Tunis. (Organised by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pierides Gallery) Twenty-seven Greek Painters Are Inspired by the Work of Mikis Theodorakis. Gazi, Athens
688
Creative Encounters ’95: Michalis Katzourakis, Paniaras, Samios, Manolis Charos. Averoff Gallery, Metsovo / Curated by Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou 1994 Ulysses’ Syndrome. Vorres Museum Collection. Cyprus International Conference Centre, Nicosia. Greek Contemporary Art from the Collection of the Vorres Museum. Taidehalli, Helsinki. Méditerranée. Galerie Samy Kinge, Paris. 1993 The Tree: Source of Inspiration, Occasion for Creation. Municipal Arts Centre, Nicosia / Curated by Yannis Kolokotronis. (Organised by the Pierides Galerie). The Tree: Source of Inspiration, Occasion for Creation in Modern Greek Art, 19th-20th Century. Averoff Gallery, Metsovo / Curated by Yannis Kolokotronis and Olga Mentzafou-Polyzou (Organised by the Pierides Gallery and the Evangelos Averoff-Tossizza Foundation) 1992 Vorres Museum Collection. Larissa Municipal Gallery Contemporary Greek Painting from the Cangelaris Collection. Consulate General of Greece, Alexandria 1991 2ème Croisière d’Art Contemporain. MTS Odysseus, Spain, Italy, France. 1989 Seibu Yarakucho, Tokyo. (A Tribute to the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution) Biennale des Jeunes. Cannes 1987 Dix Peintres Contemporains. Centre Culturel Hellénique, Paris / Curated by Eurydice Trichon-Milsani Masques d’Artistes. Salon de Malmaison, Cannes. 1986-9 The Greek Dimension: The Vorres Collection of Contemporary Greek Art. Art Gallery of Hamilton (Ontario); Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston (Ontario); 1990 Russell Senate Office Building, Capitol (Washington DC); Laurentian University Museum & Art Centre, Sudbury (Ontario); Swift Current National Exhibition Centre (Saskatchewan); Moose Jaw National Exhibition Centre (Saskatchewan); The Madrona Exposition Centre, Nanaimo (British Columbia); Maltwood Art Museum & Gallery, Victoria (British Columbia); Prairie Gallery, Grande Prairie (Alberta); York University Art Gallery, Toronto; Galerie Montcalm, Gatineau (Quebec); Owens Art Gallery, Sackville (New Brunswick); Palais de la Civilisation, Montreal; Bergen Museum of Art and Science, Paramus (New Jersey); Artspace Gallery, Los Angeles; The Modern Museum of Art, Santa Ana (California); Seattle Art Museum (Washington). 1985 The Greek Dimension: The Vorres Collection of Contemporary Greek Art. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago 1983 FIAC Participation with the Galerie Samy Kinge, Grand Palais, Paris. 1982 FIAC Participation with the Galerie Samy Kinge, Grand Palais, Paris. 1972 Exhibition in a garage, Pangrati, Athens.
Acknowledgments The date for my exhibition at the Benaki Museum was fixed just a few months ago and it was indeed a difficult task to organise it in such a short time. But we made it, with the help of many much-loved friends and colleagues. Therefore, I would like to thank them all, starting with Angelos Delivorias, whom I amire and respect, and whose work as the director of the Museum will go down in history. I would particularly like to thank Irene Geroulanou, who has become a friend after all these years, with whom we discussed and decided on the dates for the exhibition. I would also like to thank Constantinos Papachristou, curator of the Benaki Museum, who wrote an excellent piece for this catalogue and helped us in all the practical matters involved in organising the exhibition. I wish to thank the National Bank of Greece and its managing director Mr. Alexandros Tourkolias for his contribution to making the exhibition a reality; Hertz, the company which sponsored the publication of the catalogue, and especially Mrs. Emmanuela Vasilaki, with whom we maintain an exceptional collaboration; and Intralot and Mr. Kostas Antonopoulos who supported the publication of the catalogue. My thanks also go to the collector Mr. Antonis Komninos, to Mr. Thanasis Martinos, who is so very dear to me, and especially to my old and dear friend Mr. Constantinos Angelopoulos. My love and thanks to Theodora Valenti and Maria Yannouli from ΜΑRΝΙ Films, who produced an amazing video-interview to be projected during my exhibition, and to Constantinos and Niki Boutaris for their generous offer of the wine served at the exhibition’s opening; and to Thomas Paxinos who undertook the architectural design of the museum’s exhibition area.
At Militos Editions, I would like to thank all the team that helped in the production of my book, and especially Stella Nika; with patience and professionalism, she and Maria worked endless hours on it. And of course, above all, I would like to thank Nikos Haidemenos, for without his enthusiasm and great ideas this extraordinary publication would not have been possible. I’m lucky to have such good friends as Cecile Inglessis-Margellos, Yannis Metaxas and Petros Efthymiou: each in their own way, they’ve expressed their ideas and feelings in the book’s foreword. I thank them for their kind words from the bottom of my heart. I would also like to thank all collector friends who entrusted me with paintings in their possession for my exhibition. All my archives, for many years, have been maintained by Penelope Barbetaki, and I thank her because without her I wouldn’t have my entire life story in order. I would like to thank Despina Savvopoulou for supporting my work in the mass media. As for my photographer, Ilias Georgouleas, I admire the patience he showed while I dragged him here and there, for days on end, to photograph all the paintings that appear in this book. The churches were photographed by Ioanna Nikolareizi and I thank her for a superb job. For last I leave my biggest thanks: to Maria, my partner in life, the muse of my life and my art. P.S.
689
690
Epilogue How can I encapsulate in one book the extensive work of an artist who also happens to have been my husband and partner in life for the last 23 years? Especially since it includes art so varied and distinctive that it transports you to another dimension, beyond the three that our senses perceive. My objective was to compile a monograph and showcase in the best possible way Pavlos’s entire oeuvre. The publication of the monograph will coincide with a large-scale retrospective exhibition of most of his work, a landmark in his life of 66 years and the 45 years of his career. I will begin my epilogue by thanking all those who contributed, each in their own way, and helped me realise this unique monograph on Pavlos Samios. I would especially like to thank Stella Nika, whose creativity, patience, ideas and good cheer helped me carry out this huge project, despite all the back-and-forth, the doing and undoing, the considering and reconsidering! I will miss her warm companionship; Penelope Barbetaki, a good and faithful associate of Pavlos, who coordinated and set up his entire archive, without which it would have been very difficult to have access to all this material; and of course our publisher, Nikos Haidemenos, a friend and colleague, whose high spirits and sense of humour, as well as his disciplined and comprehensive approach to books all contribute to the very important work he brings to fruition with great love for today’s Greece. I first became acquainted with Pavlos’s work, which I greatly admired, and then with the man himself. He complemented my youthful aspiration to become a painter and an artist, but in the end I followed other paths, more business- and finance-oriented, which paved the way for a beautiful and fulfilling life and career. In the life I have shared with Pavlos I have learnt, I have seen, I have heard, and I have been trained in understanding the artistic stimuli that I experienced around me and with him in Greece and around the world, for he has the added talent of being a very good teacher. His artistic nature has always offered me another life inside our every-day one, with all the pluses and minuses that entails. Our decision that I should edit this monograph was a great challenge: to present an overview of a diverse and prolific artist’s oeuvre in a book of so many pages, with numerous thematic sections that follow each
other not in strict chronological order but in a flow which should be as natural as possible, alongside the comments, criticism and praise of major art historians, writers, professors and close friends. But beyond being a challenge, this has also been a deeply emotional project, since I am perhaps the only person in a position to know every detail of the creative process involved in Pavlos’s work. I know his mind, his sensitivity, his inspiration, his tastes, his views on life as expressed through his work; I know almost every single painting. This book gave me the opportunity to discover, with maturity and admiration, even more aspects of his artistic personality, as it revealed to me things I did not know. The themes explored by Pavlos are quite unusual and based on his experiences in life, which, combined with his deep psyche, his imagination, his skill and eloquence, deliver paintings that are both interesting and unique, centring on human beings, women more so than men, their connection with nature, their stories, their fetishes and their excesses. As Pavlos says, excess is a form of poetry. If offers an additional element, one that no photograph can capture, since photography merely repeats nature. Painting reveals another nature... The book is divided into two parts: his work as a painter and his work as a teacher. The first part opens with a brief introduction by Pavlos and four other excellent pieces. The illustrations begin with his most recent work, carried out over the past three years and hitherto not shown. The thematic flow continues and comes to a close with his more realistic, classical works. The first part ends with various reviews of past exhibitions and presentations. The second part begins with Pavlos’s tribute to his teacher Yiannis Moralis. There are paintings he drew then as his student and others he drew later as a teacher himself. Lastly, there is a selection of photographs of Pavlos’s frescoes in small churches. This monograph presents Pavlos’s life, his thoughts, his soul and the social and personal issues that concern him, seen in his own way, through his eyes. I hope you enjoy it and that you explore the world of his paintings with pleasure and curiosity.
Maria Xanthakou 691
In 15th century Italy, Saint George was depicted clad in Renaissance armour. Should someone nowadays depict him on a motorcycle, everybody will laugh. That’s the problem. Young people don’t know how to move on from yesterday to tomorrow. P.S.