One friendship – Two worlds – The various facets of modernism
This exhibition at th Medusa Gallery shows the works of two famed 20th century artists, Kostas Koulentianos (1918-1995) and Marios Prasinos (1916-1985) who, in spite of their different academic and social backgrounds, maintained a strong friendship through their love of Greece and Greek civilization and a deep attachment to modern art. Another linking factor was their ex-patriotism, Prasinos having moved to France with his family from Constantinopolis, at the age of 6, whereas Koulentianos settled in Paris in 1945 on receiving a scholarship from the French government at the age of 27. He had been an active participant in the National Resistance movement of Greece and had completed a period of study at the School of Fine Arts.
The pieces selected represent the different periods of the lives of the artists and explains the diverse routes which led to their development and growth in the modernistic movement. Their work began to gain recognition in the 50’s at the International Art Centre in Paris through the powerful arcs of their metallic sculptures and the unique independence of their individual innovative understanding of their art.
The idea of the exhibition resulted from a collaboration between Catherine Koulentianou and Maria Dimitriadi. The Curator of the exhibition is historian and art critic, Efi Strouza.
