Panagiotis Tetsis

Panagiotis Tetsis, one of the most prominent painters who shaped post-war Greek painting, was born in Hydra in 1925. In 1940, he took his first painting lessons and met his "true teachers," Pikionis and Chatzikyriakos-Gikas. In 1943, he studied painting in the preparatory department of the "Athens School of Fine Arts," under D. Biskinis and P. Mathiopoulos. He then entered the workshops of the School, studying under K. Parthenis, and graduated in 1949. A member of the Armos A group and later the Armos B group, he was appointed curator in 1951 at the chair of freehand drawing with professor Chatzikyriakos-Gikas at the National Technical University of Athens School of Architecture. From 1953 to 1956, Tetsis settled in Paris on a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). There, at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he was taught the art of engraving. From 1958 to 1976, he taught at the Free Study Workshop of Fine Arts (later known as the "Vakalo School"), while also teaching freehand drawing at the "School of Designers of the Athens Technological Group" until 1962. In 1958, the Greek section of the International Association of Art Critics elected him among Greek candidates for the international award of the Guggenheim Museum, where his work was exhibited. This was followed by the Critics' Award in 1962 for his work "The Shipyard," and in 1970 he was appointed as Greece's representative at the Venice Biennale. Due to special political conditions, he declined participation. In 1976, he was elected professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, in the 3rd Painting Workshop, where he taught until 1991. In 1989, the senate elected him rector of the institution, and in 1993, he was elected an academician. He participated in international exhibitions as a representative of Greece and showcased his works in 90 solo and numerous thematic group exhibitions. He passed away on March 5, 2016, at the age of 91.