Yiannis
Tsarouchis (1910-1989)
Many consider Tsarouchis the most popular Greek
painter of the 20th century. He certainly was one of the most
memorable and influential personalities of the Greek art scene.
The concept of a pronounced "Greekness" -
promoted and experienced during the first post-war decades
- is often traced in his work. Also apparent in Tsarouchis' "oeuvre" is
the blending of cultural aspects of both
the East and the West - a predominant trait of Greek in
general. In reference to this mixture of painting styles,
the artist admitted: "It took me a long time to
realise how difficult it is to unite the two styles [...]
It has always been my desire to unite the two modes of painting."
Tsarouchis' art did for the male body what Henri Matisse's did for the female figure: by focusing both on its
formal shape and its sensuality, Tsarouchis created timeless male erotic symbols.
Despite his uncontested "Greekness" , Tsarouchis also has obvious affinities with the European avant-garde
of his time. By 1934, the influence of Matisse and Picasso had started seeping into his work. He first visited
Paris in 1935, and was fascinated by the works of Courbet, Renoir, Ingres and Manet at the Louvre.
Following his return to Greece, he took part in the First
Annual Panhellenic Art Exhibition at the Zappeion
Megaron in 1938. He returned to Paris in 1950-51,
where he exhibited 42 of his works at the Galerie d'Art du
Faubourg St Honore. His work was also included in a group
exhibition at the Redfern Gallery in London, where Tsarouchis
spent seven months.
In 1952 the British Council of Athens hosted Tsarouchis' first retrospective exhibition comprising 65 works,
while in 1958 his work represented Greece at the Venice Biennale. In the same year Tsarouchis designed the set
for Cherubini's opera "Medea" , staged at the Dallas Civic Opera and starring Maria Callas . His
creative contribution to the theatre (in the form of set and costume design) was highlighted in a 1986 exhibition
at the Theatre Nationale de Chaillot in Paris. Following his death (July 20, 1989) the Parisian exhibition
centre FIAC organised a show of works completed by the artist prior to his passing.
In 1982, the Yannis Tsarouchis Museum was inaugurated in
the Athenian suburb of Maroussi (where the artist lived),
while in 2000 (February-March) the Ministry of Culture organised
the exhibition Yannis
Tsarouchis Between East and West in Athens'
old Fix brewery.
