Shalom, 1983
Petros Papavassiliou

Petros Papavassiliou (Athens, December 6, 1928 – Milan, September 12, 2014) was a Greek painter.

He studied painting and engraving at the Polytechnic University of Athens where he won four awards in woodcut and etching. 

In 1958, he received a scholarship to Perugia where he pursued advanced studies. 

In 1959, he won the second prize for engraving at the Biennale of Alexandria, Egypt, and the national competition for specialization in Graphic Arts. He moved to Urbino where he specialized in old presses and antique printing machines, honing his skills in book illustration. 

In 1960, he worked at the Rizzoli Institute and collaborated as a graphic artist and illustrator with various publishing houses in Milan. He married Piera Gatta and had two children, Alex, in 1961, and Michela, in 1964. He befriended and associated with the greatest contemporary Italian and foreign artists. He painted and engraved, participating in group exhibitions in Italy and abroad. 

In 1971, he won the third prize at the III Biennale of Fine Arts in Barcelona. 

In 1972, he formed a friendship with Alexander Iolas, already known for discovering Salvador Dalí, Victor Brauner, Roberto Matta, Max Ernst, Magritte, and de Chirico. In the same year, Petros became friends with Raffaele Carrieri. 

In 1974, he went to the Principality of Monaco to receive the first prize at the III Biennale of Montecarlo and held solo exhibitions in Milan, Trieste, Athens, and Turin. 

In 1976, he met and befriended the publisher Vanni Scheiwiller. Petros' house became a meeting point for many foreign artists passing through Milan. In 1980, he flew to New York for a solo exhibition at the Brooks Jackson Iolas Gallery. In 1981, he formed a friendship with the Greek poet Giannis Ritsos. He held solo exhibitions in Athens, Milan, and the United States. 

In 1982, he was invited to Menton for a solo exhibition at the Palais de l'Europe. 

In 1984, he met the Greek Nobel Prize-winning poet Odysseas Elytis, leading to a significant artistic collaboration. During this period, he had solo exhibitions at the Benaki Museum in Athens and in Padua. The Museum of Thessaloniki acquired one of his works. In 1985, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Milan dedicated a solo exhibition to him. The Vorres Museum in Athens acquired one of his works. 

In 1987, he traveled to Paris for a solo exhibition at the Samy Kinge Gallery. 

In 1988, he returned to the French capital for the installation of six works at the Residence Opèra. Mykonos acquired some of his works in 1989 for the Municipal Palace. He participated in the Euro Art Expo in Rome, the Arte Fiera in Bologna, the Ducal Palace in Mantua, the Palazzo dei Diamanti, and the Art Jonction International in Nice. The volume “Fantastic Art and Engraving" edited by Giorgio Mondadori, which dedicated a chapter to Wilfredo Lam, Roberto Matta, and Petros, was published. He became friends with the critic Marcello Venturoli. 

In 1992, he participated in Arte Fiera Bologna, held solo exhibitions in Italy, Miami, Belgium, and Geneva. 

In 1991, he created a series of works dedicated to his friend and compatriot Giorgio de Chirico, exhibited at the PAC in Ferrara and the Art Jonction International in Nice. 

In 1992, he had solo exhibitions in Perugia, at the Museum of Arts in Palazzo Bandera in Busto Arsizio. During this period, he participated in Arte Fiera 92 in Bologna and Europ Art 92 in Geneva. 

In 1993, he participated in Contemporanea Italia Giappone in Parma, Lineart 93 in Ghent, Belgium, and Cern Meyrin in Geneva. In 1994, he debuted in Chicago, participated in Art Miami 94 in Florida, exhibited at Palazzo Datini, the Marchese Gallery in Prato, the Borgogna Gallery in Milan, and Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio, Como. 

In 1995, a monographic video in Italian, English, and Greek was dedicated to him. He exhibited in the same year at the Argò Gallery in Athens and in Palermo. The Petros Museum was founded in Tsepelobo, Ioannina. 

In 1999, there was a retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Foundation in Milan and an Anthological exhibition at the Young Museum in Revere. 

In 2000, he had a solo exhibition at the Linati Space in Milan and at the Romanesque Church in Ossuccio. 

In 2001, he exhibited at the Memmo Foundation in Lecce, Palazzo Sperlari in Cremona, and in Athens. The city of Corfu invited him for a solo exhibition at the Royal Palace. 

In 2003, he exhibited at the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art, under the patronage of the Consulate General of Greece in Milan. 

In 2005, the Giorgio de Chirico Center in Volos dedicated an exhibition to him.

In 2007, a solo exhibition was held at the Sforza Castle presented by Vittorio Sgarbi in the presence of the Mayor of Milan and the President of the Greek Republic. The International Liszt Festival Bellagio invited him, in 2008, to create a series of works for the occasion. 

In 2010, he had solo exhibitions at the ancient Chiostro dell'Umanitaria, Pace Gallery in Milan, and at the Palazzo del Casinò in Venice. In the last twenty years, Petros has been the subject of retrospective exhibitions worldwide. Important critics such as Vittorio Sgarbi, Raffaele Carrieri, Luigi Carluccio, Luigi Cavallo, Roberto Sanesi, Carlo Munari, Dino Formaggio, Benvenuto Guerra, Alberico Sala, Marcello Venturoli, and publisher Vanni Scheiwiller have spoken about him. He produced graphic folders with poems by Carrieri, Giannis Ritsos, and Nobel Prize winner Odysseas Elytis. His cycles of works dedicated to the Presocratic philosophers, including the “Entelechies" inspired by the thought of Aristotle, are renowned. He created large-scale oils and mixed techniques. He lived and worked in Milan and was buried in Ossuccio, Lake Como.