Biography

The art of Giannis Mitarakis, deeply rooted in the currents of the European avant-garde, bears strong traces of Fauvism and Expressionism, while his unique visual language captured the Greek landscape and light with unparalleled sensitivity. Throughout his career, he did not merely seek to depict the external world but aimed to grasp its internal, psychological dimensions.

Mitarakis was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and spent his childhood in Greece. In 1915, he completed his secondary education in Chios and then left for Paris, where he initially studied Agronomy at the renowned Grignon Institute. However, his artistic nature prevailed over his scientific studies, and in 1921, he decisively turned to painting. He studied at the Academy of André Lhote, one of the most important Cubist teachers, and at La Palette, under Le Fauconnier. There, he came into contact with the most progressive movements of Parisian art while also traveling and painting extensively. His early works, mainly landscapes and nudes, were exhibited in prestigious salons such as the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Indépendants, revealing his early engagement with form and color as means of emotional expression.

In 1929, he left Paris and settled in Athens, where he held his first exhibition at the Stratigopoulou Gallery. Soon, he began traveling across Greece, capturing the landscapes of Megara, Santorini, Chios, and Mykonos with his brush. By the 1930s, he had established himself as one of Greece’s most significant painters. He became a member of the avant-garde “Art Group,” and his reputation extended beyond Greek borders. His work was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1936 and 1940, while in 1939, he represented Greece at the New York World’s Fair, a major milestone in his international recognition. That same year, he was awarded a prize at the Panhellenic Exhibition.

World War II temporarily interrupted his artistic journey. Mitarakis was conscripted and fought on the Albanian front, while during the years of the Occupation, he lived on his estate in Chios. The hardships of the time did not hinder his inner dialogue with art; on the contrary, his artistic expression became even more intense and restless. In the post-war period, his painting evolved toward an even more dynamic expressionism. His Fauvist colors gained greater intensity and emotional charge, making his works pulse with inner movement. In 1958, he represented Greece at the Biennales of Alexandria and São Paulo, and in the same year, he participated in the Guggenheim International Competition in New York, alongside leading Greek artists. His works were exhibited in six major U.S. cities, reaffirming his international reach.

Mitarakis’ work is characterized by an explosive dialogue between color and form. On one hand, he drew from Fauvism, adopting bold, pure shades that conveyed the inner tension of the landscape. On the other, his training in Cubism provided him with a solid structural approach. Over time, his artistic language became even more liberated; his forms grew more fluid, and his brushstrokes more dynamic, as if striving to break free from the very limits of the canvas. His landscapes are not mere representations of space but emotional topographies, charged with energy, where light and color become the protagonists of the composition.

Mitarakis passed away in 1963, leaving behind a valuable artistic legacy. His significance was recognized posthumously, with a major retrospective exhibition in 1992 at the Athens Municipality Arts Center and “Gallery 3.” Today, his works are housed in important collections, proving that his contribution to modern Greek painting remains timeless. Giannis Mitarakis was an artist who did not settle for the superficial depiction of reality. His painting was a search for inner light, an attempt to capture the deeper essence of the world through the power of color and form.

Georgia Dimopoulou
Classics Scholar – Editor

Source: The information in this text is derived from the catalog of the retrospective painting exhibition of Giannis Mitarakis, published by the Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece, Patras, 2001.