Alexis
Akrithakis (1939-1994)
Alexis Akrithakis - a self-taught artist with a passionate temperament - has been described as
a "poet of the visual arts" . He himself once claimed: "In painting words are superfluous; in poetry design
is superfluous. However, one designs a poem and one writes a painting" . Akrithakis created his own visual
script - a sort of winding doodle giving idiosyncratic order and meaning to a seemingly chaotic imagination.
Akrithakis decided to dedicate his life to art in 1965. He then embarked on a long and adventurous creative journey,
developing his own script, (which he called "tsiki tsiki" ) and creating personal symbols to which he always
returned. Recurring images - like the aeroplane, the suitcase, the paper-boat - highlight the escapism, which
dominated both his art and his life. Akrithakis loved to travel, both physically and figuratively. His often
maze-like creations allow the viewer to do the same.
In the 1970s, Akrithakis incorporated the "objet trouve" into his art, creating brightly painted suitcases out
of driftwood.
The playful nature of Akrithakis' work and his childish obsession with carousels was brilliantly showcased during
the National Gallery's 1997 retrospective. A
giant replica of the Carousel for the Children of Vietnam (1969) was installed outside the gallery in downtown Athens.
Akrithakis was a rebellious child, who was in and out of several public and private schools. In 1955, he started
frequenting the legendary cafe "Vyzantion" , the haunt of Athenian intelligentsia and artists. There, Akrithakis met
the philosopher Yiorgos Makris , who gave him courage to continue with his art.
In 1958, Akrithakis fled to Paris, using his family's savings to buy himself a motorcycle. In Paris, he studied
life rather than art, having concluded that "the only food for art is life itself" . He spent another few years
in Berlin, in a milieu that enabled his art to blossom. He finally returned to Greece in 1984.
