Biography

The Aetoloakarnanian sculptor Thymios Panourgias (possibly descended from the prominent leader of 1821, Panourgias, who is depicted in the foreground of Peter von Hess’s work on the capture of the Acrocorinth fortress) was born on December 27, 1931, in Agrinio, where he completed his basic education. From a very young age, he initially engaged in painting, and by the age of 11, he was known in his surroundings as a painter and was constantly drawing.[1] Shortly after, he turned to sculpture, creating a high-quality portrait in side wood at the age of 13 and a bas-relief portrait in stone at the age of 16.[2] He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1956, where he had Michalis Tombros (1889-1974) as a teacher for one year, followed by Giannis Pappas (1913-2005). In 1960, he moved to Paris with a scholarship from the I.K.Y. (Foundation for State Scholarships), where he studied until 1963 under Louis Leygue (1905-1992), a pioneering sculptor regarding the integration of sculptures into public spaces and collaboration with architects for this purpose.[3] In 1964, he settled permanently in Athens.

In 1965, he participated in the Alexandria Biennale in Egypt, where he was awarded the Second Prize for Sculpture. In 1966, he took part in the Philothei Biennale, as well as in the “Panhellenic” exhibitions in Athens, both that year and the following one. In 1968, he created tombstones for the graves of Haile Selassie’s family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 1969, he participated in the São Paulo Biennale in Brazil and organized his first solo exhibition at the British Council Gallery in Athens. In 1970, he participated in a group exhibition in Osaka, Japan (Museum of Fine Arts). In 1971, he organized a solo exhibition at the Hilton Art Hall in Athens and participated in the Budapest Biennale of small sculptures with three pieces, where he received the first prize by unanimous vote. From 1972, he taught sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts (where he also served as curator), teaching there until 1998. That same year, he represented Greece at the 36th Venice Biennale and presented his work in a solo exhibition in Toronto, Canada (Albert White Gallery). In 1973, he organized a solo exhibition at the “New Forms” Gallery in Kolonaki and participated, as an honorary guest, in the Second Sculpture Biennale in Budapest. In 1974, he was among the founding members of the Center for Visual Arts, a group of 26 emerging artists.

From 1974 onwards, he participated in numerous group exhibitions (in addition to many in Athens, he also took part in exhibitions in Chania in 1975, in Larissa in 1977, in Bucharest in 1979, in Thessaloniki in 1991, etc.). In 1978, he was one of the main founding members of the Sculptors’ Association (along with his fellow sculptor Giorgos Chouliaras – born 1947), of which he also served as president for six years. The Sculptors’ Association organized many quality sculpture exhibitions at the Athens Conservatory (every year from 1979 to 1982, and in the years 1985, 1988, and 1999) and throughout Greece (Corfu in 2006). In 1986-87, he served as a visiting professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 1994, his work was individually presented at the 2nd Art Athina. In 2002, he organized a solo exhibition at the Town Hall of Kalyvion Thorikou, Attica, where he resides and maintains his workshop in the village of Kouvaras, and in 2006 at the Papastratio Mansion in Agrinio. Among the last group exhibitions he participated in were in 2010 at the Skoufa Gallery in the exhibition “European Sculptors in Bronze,” and in 2014 in Sifnos, in the exhibition “Master Artists – From the Collections of the National Gallery.” He served as a member of the jury for the Panhellenic Exhibitions (1987, among others) and on committees for the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Interior, and the Institute of Greek Culture.

He received seven first prizes in monument competitions. His works in public spaces include: the monument to the uprising of tobacco producers and the sacrifice of Vlahos in Sphina (Kypseli) of Aetolia-Acarnania (1994, 280 × 280 × 160 cm), the monument to the fallen heroes in Dimadi Square in Agrinio (2006), and the monument to the National Resistance (of the three hanged on Great Friday) in Democracy Square in Agrinio, which depicts the three hanged from the resistance struggle against the German occupation. Also in Agrinio are: the monument to Minor Asia immigrants and refugees (2009 at Agios Konstantinos), the bust of the football player Papadopoulos or “Gallus” at the Panetolikos stadium, and the busts of A. Fleming (1980 in Fleming Square) and of priest A. Fafouti (in the Church of the New Saint Christopher). Other significant monuments to the National Resistance were established in Pyrgos, Ilia (1986, 230 × 500 × 300 cm), in Amfissa (1988), in Lamia (1991, 230 × 1200 × 500 cm), in Mousiotitsa of Ioannina (2002), and in Tripoli (2010). In 1980, he created, together with Ilias Katzilieris (1947-2000), a statue of Rigas Velestinlis (Feraios) in Velestino (ancient Pherae), measuring 2.50 meters tall, and in 1982, a bust for Alekos Panagoulis that was erected in the municipality square of Agios Dimitrios. He also created a commemorative column for D. Pikionis, as well as the bronze emblem of the city of Agrinio (in 1974). In 2003, his work “Daughters of Asclepius” was erected in Trikala. He has written studies on the elements and principles of relief, on the elements and principles of sculpture, and on the organization and operation of a modern sculpture workshop. He passed away on June 18, 2015, in Athens. His works can be found in collections in Greece, Europe, the USA, and Canada, as well as in the National Gallery Museum of Alexandros Soutzos.

The work of Th. Panourgias is distinguished by the harmony of volumes and the freedom of drawing, without losing touch with the traditional principles of sculpture. He confidently approaches the modern version of his art, particularly the abstract sculpture that predominates in the European scene, while remaining true to the objective nature of his material. With the confidence of his innate artistic vision and the solid conception of his visual compositions, he makes a qualitatively bold contrast between his work and its surroundings, through his dialectical placement in a vibrant space. He achieves, especially with his large monumental sculptures, a subtle theatricality in his themes, poetically incorporating the dramatic elements that refer to each historical event. As early as 1965, P. Karavias recognized the talent of the then young sculptor, emphasizing that: “His figurative forms have balanced plasticity and express a popular sentiment.”[4] In his first solo exhibition in 1971, Ilias Petropoulos also noted that the sculptor is distinguished for the “harmonious sequence of volumes. His merit lies in the sudden flutterings of the material. His merit includes the silent recesses, openings, and cavities.”[5] Andreas Ioannou, commissioner of the Greek representation at the Venice Biennale in 1972, observes: “A contemporary sculptor with archaic roots. He is preoccupied with the human form in an unlimited expression of movements and postures. (…) A characteristic element (…) is the movement that emerges from his figures, sometimes becoming an extension of the line and other times a folding of the volume.”[6] In 1973, Helen Vakalo aptly adds: “His disposition leads him to compositions of complexes, in which the full exploitation of the tensions of the material and the movements of the forms in all dimensions of space takes place.”[7]

Th. Panourgias himself will early defend his direct connection with his material, stating: “I see art as ‘sensual’ and less cerebral. I insist on the ‘objectivity’ of sculpture.”[8] He will also assert that his work “is marked by a geometrism, sometimes more apparent, sometimes less apparent, internal.”[9] Finally, he will vigorously claim the freedom of his creative expression, declaring: “Throughout my life, I have done nothing but sculpture. Not that I didn’t have financial problems, but I did not yield to the pressures of consumer society.”[10] He also positioned himself in the discussion of Greek identity as president of the Sculptors’ Association, emphasizing that: “Clear Greek identity means being consistent and honest with your experiences.”[11] His work is further characterized by a vigorous disposition, with the succession of planes and the emergence of the essential through dynamic forms.[12] An element highlighted by Stelios Lydakis is also “the coarse texture of the outer surface,”[13] and, as a typically Greek element of restraint to the essential, “the structure based on the vertical and horizontal.”[14] Moreover, his tendency towards genuine expression is clear, emphasizing: “For me, art must have nationality,” describing his work as “structured plasticity.”[15]

Anestis Melidonis

Art Historian

Scientific Collaborator of the Foundation of Greek Diaspora

[1] See “The sculptor Thymios Panourgias has passed away,” Efimerida ton Sintakton, 23/6/2015. The article mentions an interesting excerpt regarding his time in Agrinio from Nea Epohi: “Happiness for him was a teacher who encouraged him to develop his talent, while one classroom in the school had become a permanent exhibition space for his works. However, what made him known in the art world was a drawing of Charlie Chaplin he created for a film project. This drawing was a tremendous success at the time, resulting in him receiving financial support from his works.” The classroom referred to here is where the teacher permanently exhibited his works, and the Charlie Chaplin drawing likely pertains to a film poster. I thank Thymios Panourgias’ wife, the sculptor Maro Bartzili (born 1950 in Ammochostos), for the information and for her careful reading of this text.

[2] See Sculptor Thymios Panourgias, presentation by Stelios Lydakis, Athens 2014, pp. 23 and 35 for the corresponding images.

[3] Panourgias himself collaborated with architects for the completion of his monuments in public spaces, with notable examples including Takis Tavaniotis and Andreas Ventourakis.

[4] P. Karavias, “The Plastic Arts,” Eleftheria, 10/10/1965.

[5] Panourgias, Sculpture-Drawing, Small Art Gallery, Hilton 1971.

[6] XXXVI Biennale Venezia 1972. Hellas: Fassianos – Mitaras – Panourgias – Piladakis.

[7] Eleni Vakalo, Critique of Visual Arts, vol. II, 1996, p. 273.

[8] Linardatos K. D. “Thymios Panourgias: ‘Art in our country must be modernized,’” Ta Nea, 4/5/1973.

[9] See https://xronos.gr/arthra/thymios-panoyrgias-kyvistis-pantos-den-eimai

[10] V. Vasiladiotis: “Euthymios Panourgias, ‘The personality of Panagoulis moved me,’” Eleftherotypia, 26/05/1982.

[11] Melina Adamopoulou, “The Week of Thymios Panourgias,” I Avgi, 11/5/1980.

[12] Chrysanthos Christou – Myrto Koumbakaki-Anastasiadi, Modern Greek Sculpture 1800-1940, Athens 1982, p. 172.

[13] Stelios Lydakis, Modern Greek Sculpture, Athens 1981, p. 169.

[14] Sculptor Thymios Panourgias, op. cit., p. 17.

[15] Ibid., pp. 16-17.