Tsarouchis Giannis

Giannis Tsarouchis (January 13, 1910 - July 20, 1989) was a Greek painter and set designer of the most important of the Generation of the 30's with international exposure.
With multiple influences from Hellenistic and Byzantine art, the art of the Renaissance and modern times formed a special personal style and depicted landscapes, still lifes, nudes and allegorical scenes. However, his interest was found in the human form, creating portraits and scenes with sailors and soldiers.
He was born in Piraeus and studied at the School of Fine Arts (1928-1934) with teachers including Dimitrios Biskinis, Thomas Thomopoulos, Spyros Vikatos, Georgios Iakovidis, Giannis Kefallinos and Konstantinos Parthenis. At the same time, he studied for four years (1930-1934) in the workshop of Fotis Kontoglou where he was introduced to Byzantine hagiography and taught the technique of fresco and typography. At the same time he maintained a spiritual friendship with Dimitris Pikionis and Diamantis Diamantopoulos.
He traveled in 1953 to Istanbul and Izmir and then went to Paris where he taught the technique of etching. There he got acquainted with the painting of the Renaissance, Impressionism and the work of Theophilos from the collection of Stratis Eleftheriadis (Teriade). He also met Henri Matisse, Max Ernst and Alberto Giacometti.
Two years after his return to Greece in 1938, he held his first solo exhibition at the shop of Th. Alexopoulos in Athens. In 1940 he fought on the Albanian front and during the Occupation he was mainly engaged in scenographic work. In 1949 he became a founding member of the Armos Group together with Nikos Hatzikyriakos-Gikas, Giannis Moralis, Nikos Nikolaou and Nikos Eggonopoulos. Participates in the exhibitions organized by the group in the period 1949-1953.
He exhibited for the first time in 1951 in Paris at the Gallerie d΄Art du Faubourg and the same works are presented in London at the Redfern Gallery. In 1952 he presented his retrospective exhibition at the British Council in Athens and in 1953 he signed a contract with the Iolas Gallery in New York (1953-1957) and during this period he created some of his best works such as the cafes "Neon", "Parthenon", "Mavrokefalou" and the "Forgotten Guard".
He is a candidate in 1956 together with George Bouzianis and Alekos Kontopoulos for the Guggenheim Prize. The works he had submitted as a candidate are exhibited in 1958 at the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris and then at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, while the same year he participates with Giannis Moralis and Antonis Sohos at the Greek pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
From 1928 he began his professional career with the scenography that covers a significant part of his artistic creation and includes collaborations with the National Theater, the Opera House, the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, the Charles Koon Art Theater, the Covent Garden in London , the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Dallas Civic Opera in Texas, the Teatro Nationale Populaire in Paris and the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. He has also collaborated with important Greek and foreign artists such as Maria Callas, Katina Paxinou, Alexis Minotis, Marika Kotopouli, Elli Lampeti, Karolos Koun, Michalis Kakogiannis, Melina Mercouri, Jules Dasen and Frasen Tras. In the period 1960-1962 he taught scenography at the Doxiadis School.
With the imposition of the dictatorship in 1967, he settled in Paris, where he would leave permanently in 1983. In the period 1972-1973, an exhibition was held at the Zoumboulaki Gallery with his works from the Iola collection. His retrospective exhibitions are organized, in 1974 at the Galleria d΄Arte il Gabbiano in Rome, in 1978 with drawings at the Galecia Libra in Athens and a solo exhibition in 1980 at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Giannis Tsarouchis also illustrated books, while writing texts and reviews about art, which were published in books.
In 1981 he founded the Tsarouchis Foundation, which is housed in his house in Maroussi in order to disseminate and study his work. In 1982 he opened the Tsarouchis Museum and organized annual thematic exhibitions of all his work.

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