inside the colorful home and studio of greek artist alekos fassianos

alekos fassianos’S HOUSE opens DURING ATHENS DESIGN FORUM

the residence and studio of alekos fassianos, one of greece’s most popular contemporary visual artists, opened to the public for the very first time during the inaugural athens design forum. located on a quiet street in papagou, athens, the house resembles a living museum filled with colorful visual traces of its owner’s trademark style. fassianos’s extensive creative expression materializes in sculptural lamps, ceramics, furnishings, textiles, paintings, and utilitarian items found throughout the three-story building.

the first public opening of the artist’s papagos house took place during athens design forum, a non-profit initiative introducing an experimental format for experiencing design in athens. founded by design & art curator, researcher and writer katerina papanikolopoulos, ADF advocates for an interdisciplinary approach and encourages design as a social tool that is interwoven with heritage and migration patterns. the inaugural edition took place in the first week of october 2021, offering a series of intimate events and immersive activities throughout the city that aim to showcase the broad range of design prevalent in greece.

alekos fassianos in his home and studio in athens | all images © paris tavitian unless stated otherwise

the house and studio of alekos fassianos gives visitors a chance to take a closer look at the diverse portfolio of works that animate the building, while showcasing a more intimate side of the artist himself. his personal style is evident in both the exterior and interior of the home, not only in the colorful artworks that fill the space, but also in architectural elements such as doors, windows, tiles and ceiling canopies.

fassianos developed his own anthropocentric style in the 60s, which over the years gradually evolved into a veritable visual treatise on everyday life. his painting has become a symbol of the greek nation and a reflection of postwar society.

ALEKOS FASSIANOS

born in 1935 in athens, greece, alekos fassianos trained in music but went on to study painting at the athens school of fine arts of the national technical university of athens – NTUA (1956-1960) where artist yiannis moralis was his principal instructor. in 1960 he received a scholarship from the french government to study lithography at the école des beaux-arts in paris under a. clairin and g. dayez. after a brief phase in which he was influenced by abstract art (1957-1958), fassianos quickly adopted a very personal style, which would serve him faithfully in his figurative painting. he has participated in more than 80 solo shows and has exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, notably in athens, paris, london, geneva, and throughout europe, as well as in dubai, russia, tokyo, new york, sao paulo and melbourne. in addition to private collections, his artworks can be found in museums in france: musée d’art moderne de paris; the MAEGHT foundation, saint-paul-de- vence, centre pompidou, paris. the french government honored him with its most prestigious award in 2013: the order of the legion of honor. he was awarded by the academy of athens in 1999 and by the russian government in 2015 for his contribution to the arts.image © chris kontos