Title: SEATED FEMALE FORM 6
Material: BRONZE 20QA
Size: 105 CM X 35 CM X 35 CM,
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1/8 1985
ANDREAS PAPACHRISTOS (1937 - 2019)
Andreas Papachristos was a Greek sculptor born on November 9, 1937, in Lithia, a mountain village near Kastoria in Western Macedonia. At age 11, he fled Greece during the Greek Civil War, escaping to Hungary with his sister Olga on a train carrying 3,000 Greek children. His father was killed in the war, and his mother remained behind, which profoundly affected him.
Papachristos faced a tough start in Hungary but eventually found his path. At 16, he attended the Second Grade School of Fine and Applied Arts, where his mentors were painter Lázló Miscol and sculptor Joseph Somogy. In 1957, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, studying under sculptor Sándor Mikus until 1962. His career quickly advanced; he became a member of the Art Institute of Hungary in 1962 and joined the Young Artists’ Workshop until 1972.
In 1968, Papachristos joined the Hungarian Artists Union and won a national competition the following year. He then moved to Szentendre, a medieval village near Budapest. Marked by the loss of his father and the separation from his mother, he led a solitary life. Although he reunited with his mother years later in Hungary, their relationship remained strained.
Papachristos’s sculptures often explored themes of maternity and femininity. In the 1970s, he created a series of life-sized Standing Female Figures, depicting young women in simple attire, as if emerging from the earth. These figures often featured naked upper bodies, showcasing their natural beauty, while their lower halves remained embedded in stone or marble. Many of these works were installed in public spaces throughout Hungary.
His sculptures reveal influences from classical art, constructivism, and subtraction, with a strong element of "Greekness." Greece, an idealized and unattainable concept for him due to his forced exile, was a recurring theme in his work. Papachristos believed he descended from Greek sculptors like Fidias, and this nostalgia permeated his art.
By 1983, Papachristos divided his time between Athens, the Greek Islands, and Budapest. In Athens, he worked with Pentelic marble, inspired by the Greek sun, nature, and sea. This period marked his most prolific artistic output, spurred by his wife Isidora’s influence and support. Isidora played a crucial role in organizing his exhibitions in Greece, including retrospectives at the National Gallery in Athens in 1989, the Titanium Gallery in Athens in 1992, and the old Archaeological Museum in Thessaloniki during the 28th Demetria Festival in 1993. These exhibitions significantly raised his profile in Greece.
Architect and urban planner Georgia Zoi described Papachristos as becoming a "Moulder and Creator, almost in the metaphysical sense," for his ability to bring ideas to life by blending the classical past with the modern present. Andreas Papachristos passed away on February 5, 2019, and is remembered as one of the great contemporary Greek sculptors on a European scale.
Contact Prosopo Art Gallery
If you wish to learn more about the sculptures of Andreas Papachristou or make a purchase, please contact Prosopo Art Gallery:
Prosopo Art Gallery
Oia 84-702 Louka Nomikou
Santorini, Greece
Tel: +30 2286028881
M: +30 6980058707, +30 6970127771
Email: prosopo@prosopo.art
Conclusion
Andreas Papachristou remains a significant figure in the field of sculpture, with his abstract and innovative works continuing to inspire and captivate audiences. For those looking to explore or acquire his works, Prosopo Gallery offers a comprehensive collection of his sculptures. Papachristous contributions to modern art are celebrated and remembered, ensuring his place in the annals of art history.
