Dili-dili

Spyros Vassiliou (Galaxidi 1903 – Athens 1985) was one of the most important Greek painters of the twentieth century. He was born in Galaxidi in 1903 and came to Athens in the early 1920s to study at the School of Fine Arts on a scholarship. Disillusioned by the dry teaching methods of the time, which emphasised theoretical training, Vassiliou and a group of fellow students rebelled and demanded reforms. Their stance forced the School to change its director and teaching methods; it introduced the studio and adopted modern teaching methods and painting schools such as Impressionism. Vasileiou graduated in 1923. His recognition was immediate, and over the next 60 years he became one of the most important Greek artists. In addition to his canvases, he produced religious icons, woodcarvings, illustrations, posters, theatre sets, etc. His icons and drawings have become an integral part of modern Greek cultural heritage. Vasiliou believed that modern Greek art must incorporate the influences of international movements without, however, losing its Greek character, as shaped by millennia of tradition. His Impressionist and Modernist paintings never stray far from the Byzantine tradition of iconography, as he adapted it to contemporary reality. A chronology of his life, at a glance: 1903. Born in Galaxidi. 1921. Enrolled at the School of Fine Arts. 1929. Held his first exhibition at the Stratigopoulou art gallery. 1930. He is awarded the Benaki Prize by the Academy of Athens for his icon of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. 1934. He takes part in the Venice Biennale. 1941. He marries Kiki Konstantakopoulou. 1945. First set design for the National Theatre. 1949. Illustrates the reading book for Year 5 of primary school. 1950. Founds the Greek Dance Drama with Rallou Manou. 1960. Wins the Guggenheim Award. 1961. He designed the sets for Michalis Kakogiannis’s Oscar-nominated film ‘Electra’. 1969. He published his autobiography, ‘Lights and Shadows’. 1975. A major retrospective at the National Gallery. 1982. He designs the sets for his 146th and final work. 1985. He dies at his home, beneath the Acropolis. Today, his family has converted his studio and home, beneath the Acropolis, into a gallery of his work and a museum.