Tuesday, October 23, 2012
This year marks the 90th birthday of Joannis Avramidis, one of the most important contemporary artists in Austria, and Vienna’s museums are celebrating the world-renowned Greek sculptor with two major exhibitions. The Museum of Art History is showcasing Avramidis’ sculptures and graphic work along with its Greek and Roman Antiquities collection, in an artistic dialogue between the sculptor’s abstract works and the classical originals, while the legendary Albertina Art Gallery will host a retrospective exhibition plus new works.
At the inauguration of the exhibition at the Art History Museum, Avramidis was presented with the most prestigious medal of honour of the Austrian Republic, by the Minister of Education and Culture, Claudia Schmidt.
Born to Pontic-Greek parents in the Black Sea city of Batumi, (nowadays Georgia), Avramidis has been living in Vienna since the age of twenty. He became one of Austria’s most important artists, teaching a sculpture masterclass from 1968 to 1992 and receiving the Grosse Österreichische Staatspreis, the Austrian State Prize in 1973. Avramidis has strong ties with his home country, often pointing out that his Greek identity shapes his work, while he famously donated the first money he earned as a sculptor for the restoration of the Acropolis.
Born to Pontic-Greek parents in the Black Sea city of Batumi, (nowadays Georgia), Avramidis has been living in Vienna since the age of twenty. He became one of Austria’s most important artists, teaching a sculpture masterclass from 1968 to 1992 and receiving the Grosse Österreichische Staatspreis, the Austrian State Prize in 1973. Avramidis has strong ties with his home country, often pointing out that his Greek identity shapes his work, while he famously donated the first money he earned as a sculptor for the restoration of the Acropolis.
