Biography
Jannis Kounellis is considered one of the key figures of Arte Povera. He studied at Athens University before leaving his native country Greece for Italy in 1956. In Rome, he attended the Accademia di Belle Arti, studying under the painter and poet Toti Scialoja.
In the 1950s, Jannis Kounellis produced his first paintings. In 1959-63, he became known for his alphabet paintings, made on canvas or on paper, and composed of letters, numbers, arrows or other symbols. Renouncing traditional painting on canvas, he favoured the use of natural materials: jute canvas, coal, or cotton, on media made of iron. From the 1970s onwards, the artist added a theatrical and musical dimension to his work and designed several opera sets.
Kounellis first took part in the Venice Biennale in 1972. The same year saw his solo exhibition in several European museums – at the Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London and the Caja de Pensiones in Madrid. In 1980, he exhibited at the Musée National d’Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris; the CAPC in Bordeaux devoted a major exhibition to him in 1985, and the following year, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago did likewise.
Kounellis’s work can be found in several major museums in Europe, Asia and America. During the early years of the 21st century, Kounellis held a series of exhibitions in Europe, for instance at the Monnaie de Paris in 2016, as well as in Russia, Mexico and China, where he created spectacular installations in situ.
