Tracing a great artist’s career

A large retrospective on the work of Yiannis Moralis is on display at the Goulandris Museum on Andros

By Margarita Pournara - Kathimerini

Quoting Pablo Picasso, Yiannis Moralis said that the key to understanding his work is poetry.

“Traces,” a large retrospective of the Greek artist’s work, opened recently at the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art on Andros.

This is the first time, after the 1988 Moralis retrospective organized by the National Gallery, that the public has the opportunity to appreciate the artist’s development step-by-step. His career is definitely exciting, mature and comprehensive.

The great advantage of the current display is that Moralis selected the works himself. He was the one who decided how to present his choices, his dilemmas and his evolution. The exhibition consists of 48 oil paintings as well as 70 drawings. Despite the persistence of the press during his short stay on the island for the opening – he came for only two hours – he refrained from saying much. “Talking about the works is like doing a striptease. I have grown old...”

His visit was meaningful. He wanted to see again the island that he got to know for the first time decades ago along with fellow artist Nikos Nikolaou and poet Odysseas Elytis.

He also came to see paintings with which he parted a long time ago. “When I managed to get by, I didn’t sell my works. Some of them have gone. It feels like I betrayed them. I have betrayed their gaze,” he said, adding later that all of his work has an autobiographical aspect.

The exhibition starts off with photographs of the artist and a chronological catalog of his career. It continues with two of his major works, the 2005 “Zephyros” and 1977’s “Panselinos” (Full Moon), further featuring a series of very interesting early drawings that are indicative of his skill in that domain. Some of the trademark paintings he did during the 50s, including some extraordinary, expressive portraits, are up next.

The third part of the display features works from his geometric abstraction period, which continue up to the present. The most recent of these was created this year and is in black and gray shades.

There are many reasons why this tribute is significant. The most important is that visitors can gain a clear understanding of why Moralis is considered a classic artist who brought Greek tradition nearer to contemporary trends. It is definitely worth visiting, as it is a homage to one of the most distinguished Greek artists of the 20th century. The exhibition will run to the end of September.

Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art, Andros, Hora, tel 22820.22490.