Alekos Fassianos /Αλέκος Φασιανός, 1935 | Expressionist painter

France Honors Greek Artist Alekos Fassianos

Acclaimed Greek artist Alekos Fassianos, who has studied in Paris for 35 years, received one of the greatest honors of the French Republic a few days ago at the French Embassy in Athens.

In his brief greeting after receiving the award of the “Celebrities of the Officer of the Legion of Honor” by the French Ambassador Jean - Louis Delfosse,  Alekos Fasianos expressed his gratitude to the country that allowed him to show his talent.

Alekos Fassianos, officier de la Légion d’honneur, 2013

Mr. Delfosse talked about the life and work of the Greek painter, who was born under the sacred rock of Acropolis, while his mother who was a philologist, introduced him to the ancient culture and the French language.

The event was attended by representatives of the political, cultural and business fields.

Fassianos studied violin at the Athens Conservatory, and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1956 to 1960 where he was taught from Yannis Moralis. He then went to Paris on a French State scholarship (1962–1964) where he attended lessons on lithography along with Clairin and Caroline Chariot-Dayez.

In 1966 he lived and worked solely in Paris, while from 1974 he divided his time between Paris and Athens. Since his first Athens exhibition in 1959, he has done more than 70 personal exhibitions in Paris, Athens, Thessaloniki, Milan, New York, London, Tokyo, Beirut, Hamburg, Munich to name a few.

Fassianos couples these two influences in his work, combining ancient myth with modern situations. His work is filled with heroic characters and intellectual allegory set amongst everyday life. Motion is present in every image, usually hair or cloth waving in the breeze. The figures are often posed in a salute or signalling to the viewer either a forthcoming or an already-won victory. They recall a folk-memory of a mythological past and add an heroic edge to the mundane truth of daily situations. In this way, Fassianos's work empowers both viewer and subject as demi-gods.

He was invited to produce stamps and posters for the Athens 2004 Olympics. His works are exhibited today in museums and private collections in Greece and abroad.

Alekos Fassianos nasce ad Atene nel 1935. Studia il violino, poi all'Accademia di Belle Arti di Atene (1956-1960). Nel 1962, ottiene una borsa dal governo francese e viene a proseguire gli studi a Parigi; si interessa alla litografia in modo particolare. Dopo il ritorno in Grecia, lavora per diversi periodici del suo paese.

Nel 1966, l’artista ottiene il suo primo vero successo in occasione della mostra alla Galleria Facchetti di New York.

Si esilierà definitivamente a Parigi quando sopraggiunge la dittatura in Grecia nel 1967. Associato per lungo tempo alla Galleria Iolas (Parigi), Fassianos vedrà esposta la sua opera in mostre internazionali (Atene, Amburgo, Tokyo, Milano, Monaco, Parigi, Stoccolma, Stati Uniti, ..).

Il suo lavoro si caratterizza per una sapiente fusione di arte antica e modernismo, nutrimento di immagini per l'esilio di ognuno. «Abita un paese mitico» scrive di lui Pierre Cabanne.

Nel 2013 l'acclamato artista Greco Alekos Fassianos, ha ricevuto uno dei più grandi onori della Repubblica Francese, il premio delle "Celebrities of the Officer of the Legion of Honor".