Jannis Psychopedis

Psychopedis Jannis

Born in Athens in 1945, he studied Printmaking at the Athens School of Fine Arts on a scholarship (1963-1968) under Kostas Grammatopoulos. He pursued his studies for a postgraduate degree in Painting (1971-1975) at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, thanks to a German state exchange (D.A.A.D.) scholarship, a student of Hermann Kaspar and Karl Fred Dahmen. He was an Art Group A member (1960-1967), part of the art team working for the “Epitheorisi Technis” art magazine and a member of various art groups involved in political activities: he was a founding member of the New Greek Realists (1971-1973), the Figurative Arts Centre (1974-1976). In 1977 he settled in Berlin having accepted an invitation by the Art Programme of the city of West Berlin. In 1987 he moved to Brussels before eventually returning to Greece in 1993. In 1994 he was elected Professor of Painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts where he taught until 2012. He has published his writings on art and has illustrated poetry publications. He lives and works in Athens.

Works

Solo Exhibitions

2024

Jannis Psychopedis: Heroes of 1821 National Gallery Nafplion Annex Nafplio (curated by Lambrini Karakourti-Orfanopoulou)

2023

Janis Psychopedis: Artist's Books Hellenic American Union Athens (curated by Louisa Karapidaki)

2019

Citronne Gallery Poros (curated by Tatiana Spinari-Pollali)

2019

Archaeological Museum of Poros Poros (curated by Tatiana Spinari-Pollali and Maria Giannopoulou, organised by Citronne Gallery)

2018

Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

2017

Seferis in Pafos University of Neapolis Pafos Pafos (in the context of the “Pafos European Capital of Culture 2017” events)

2015

Themelio Publications, Bookshop Athens

2015

Biography Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

2014

Jannis Psychopedis: Byron in Kefalonia Benaki Museum – Central Building (Museum of Greek Culture) Athens (curated by Constantinos Papachristou)

2014

Municipal Art Gallery of Agrinio Agrinio

2013

Archaeological Museum of Patras Patras

2013

National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation – Eynard Mansion Athens

2013

Metaichmio Multi-Purpose Space Athens

2012

Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung Berlin

2011

The House of Cyprus Athens

2011

Nostos Galerie Im Kornerpark Berlin

2011

Et in Arcadia Ego Psari Village Stemnitsa

2010

Citronne Gallery Poros

2009

Polaroids 1977-2009 Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens (Athens Photo Festival)

2008

Nostos Retrospective exhibition Museum of Cycladic Art Athens (curated by Takis Mavrotas)

2007

Encounter with Kiki Dimoula Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

2007

Poésie de face Galerie Theorema Brussels

2007

Rencontres ArtBase Gallery Brussels

2006

Treffpunkt Griechenland Deutscher Ring Hamburg

2006

118 Poets' Portraits Metaichmio Multi-Purpose Space Athens

2005

House of Cyprus Athens

2004

Eirini Metro Station Athens

2003

Fragile Paintings Galerie im Kornerpark Berlin

2003

Alphabet. 24+1 Letters European Parliament ASP Building, Ground Floor Espace Couloir Brussels

2002

English Breakfast Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

2002

Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

2001

The Letter That Did Not Arrive 1977-1996 Retrospective exhibition Cultural Center of Patras Patras

2001

Faces Terracotta Art Gallery (TinT Gallery) Thessaloniki

2001

Stone Flowers Hellenic Foundation for Culture Berlin

2001

The Letter that Did Not Arrive 1977-1996 Retrospective exhibition National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation Thessaloniki

2001

Et in Arcadia Ego Primary School of Psari Psari

2000

Stone Flowers Melina Merkouri Cultural Centre Nicosia

2000

Stone Flowers Galerie Basf Schwarzheide

2000

Seferis Portraits Frankfurt

1999

Reference to Goya House of Cyprus Athens (curated by Peggy Kounenaki)

1999

Night and the City Tzamia-Krystalla Art Gallery Chania (curated by Peggy Kounenaki)

1999

Polygnotos Art Gallery Heraklion

1998

Face Control Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1998

Ploes IV: Crossings Petros and Marika Kydoniefs Foundation Andros (curated by Athena Schina)

1997

House of Cyprus Athens

1997

Nights in August Terracotta Art Gallery (TinT Gallery) Thessaloniki

1997

Espace Périple Brussels

1996

History Lessons, the Lower Parts Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1996

Tribute to Dimitris Mitropoulos The Athens Concert Hall Athens

1995

Retrospect 1962-1995 Retrospective exhibition Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art (MOMus – Museum of Contemporary Art) Thessaloniki

1995

Galerie am Savignyplatz Berlin

1995

Morning Drawings Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1994

24+1 Letters Attis Theater Athens

1993

The Letter That Did Not Arrive Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1993

27 Images on George Seferis’s Poetry Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1993

The City Galerie Pascal Pollar Brussels

1993

Ianos Gallery Thessaloniki

1992

Drawings in Colour 1991 Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1992

Galerie La Parc Liège

1991

The Love / The City Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1991

Metropolis Art Galleries New York

1991

Jannis Psychopedis: Lettres de Bruxelles Galerie Pascal Pollar Brussels

1990

Agathi Art Gallery Athens

1990

Galerie Pascal Pollar Brussels

1990

Kreonidis Gallery Athens

1988

Selections 1962-1987 Pierides Art Gallery Glyfada (Zoumboulakis Galleries)

1988

Galerie Redmann Berlin

1988

Galerie Pascal Pollar Brussels

1987

Selections 1962-1986 Retrospective exhibition Municipal Art Gallery of Rhodes (Modern Greek Art Museum) Rhodes

1986

The Letter that Did Not Arrive… Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1985

Zoumboulakis Galleries Berlin

1985

Heraklion Art Gallery Heraklion

1985

Selections 1962-1972 Yakinthos Gallery Kifissia

1985

Galerie im Kornerpark Berlin

1985

Mylonoyanni Art Gallery Chania

1984

Retrospective exhibition State Museum of Antiquities, Munich Glyptotech Munich

1983

Zoumboulakis Galleries Athens

1982

Retrospect 1967 Retrospective exhibition The Third Eye Gallery Athens

1981

Painting 1978-1980 Athens Art Gallery Athens

1981

Akademie der Künste Berlin

1981

Overbeck-Gesellschaft Lübeck

1980

Jannis Psychopedis: Arbeiten 1978 / 1979 Travelling exhibition Kasseler Kunstverein, Kassel / Kunsthalle Darmstadt, Darmstadt

1979

Still Life Athens Art Gallery Athens

1978

Galerie Poll Berlin

1977

23 Drawings on Nassos Theofilos's short stories Gazette Bookshop Athens

1977

Institut Français d'Athènes Athens

1976

Kochlias Art Gallery Thessaloniki

1976

Galerie APEX Göttingen

1975

Center for Visual Arts Athens

1974

Galerie Poll Berlin

1973

Galerie Art Appeal Munich

1966

Keraia Gallery Athens

Press

The female figure is shaped by the contrasts of bright colours, while it is simultaneously shattered on multiple levels […] The severe, private space is broken up and recorded through multicoloured, intense bursts of colour […] At other times, Psychopedis focuses on depicting the inside and the outside, of the private and the public lived space, as supplementary elements of interaction with the psyche. Works full of traces of the human presence interlace the sloping space of Cubism, with the perspective of depth of the Renaissance. The tilted plane of the foreground functions as an open map, urging the viewer to wander gradually with his eyes and his mind, to discover symbols and scenes of a lived everyday life. The measure, the cigarette packs and discarded bull-ends, the postcards with ancient Greek sculptures are transformed into expressionist paintings floating in the anti-illusive space of the canvas. Psychopedis brings together the interior of a room with the view from the window, takes us out into the nightlife of the city, proposes autobiographical short stories that emit a sense of both introversion and extroversion, at the same time […] The 1990s find Psychopedis engaged in a constant and complex dialogue with the past, his personal journey, History and Art.

 

Bia Papadopoulou
* Excerpts from the album “Jannis Psychopedis: The Dialectic of Art”, Contemporary Greek Visual Artists series, “Ta Nea” newspaper, 2009.