Dimitris Papageorgopoulos
The Researcher of Modern Greek Art who keeps alive the memory of Greek Visual Artists
Portraits depicting Greek visual artists have been collected by Dimitris Papageorgopoulos over the past five years with the aim of preserving their memory through these artworks. However, this is not the only art collection in his possession. From 1999 to the present day, he has accumulated a rich archive of art collections, international exhibition medals, illustrations, and other items seeking shelter in a new, unique museum.
Dimitris Papageorgopoulos was born in Athens in 1963 and he comes from an urban family. His love for the Art guided him to become a Researcher of Modern Greek Art. While being an employee of the National Insurance Company, he took over the management of its Art Collection since 2013. In 2015, by his incitement and based on his Archive, the ΣTΟart Art Space, was created by the National Insurance Company as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, which he directed until March 2019, when he left voluntarily. During this time, he curated over 40 important exhibitions.
When did you start getting involved with Greek visual artists?
In 1999, I started collecting bibliography concerning Greek Visual Artists, but also, anything else related to them. The acquisition of three medals from International Exhibitions by the painter Pipitsa Filippidis, gives me the stimulus to start such a collection and becomes the reason for the research of the Participation of Greek Visual Artists in International Exhibitions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Research concerns 2949 Artists in 5239 exhibitions, and is free to all researchers and Historians through Academia.edu. At the same time, in 2017 I started the Collection of Visual Portraits depicting Greek Visual Artists, with the aim of saving the memory of their form through them.
How many portraits of Greek visual artists do you have in your collection?
This unique Collection numbers 636 Portraits from 1837 up to now, and was created by purchases, exchanges or donations from Artists and Heirs who believed in my work.
What else does your collection archive contain?
In addition to the large bibliography and the Portraits, the Archive includes important museum acquisitions, such as the Archive of the Painter Sofia Laskaridou, the two awards of Konstantinos Maleas together with his archival material, the Archive of the Painter Takis Parlavantzas, illustrations of Maria Ramfou, 134 medals of International Exhibitions, the Diploma and the reports of the ‘’ Corporation of Fine Arts’’ under King Othon, Posters, photographs, catalogues of International Exhibitions and Artists and other museum objects related to Modern Greek Art.
Sophia Laskaridou by Thalia Flora. The frame is carved by Sophia Laskaridou.
Thalia Flora by Sophia Laskaridou.
Eleni Boukouri-Altamoura, dressed as a man, paints her English painter friend Jane Benham Hay.
Theodoros Lazaris by Theophrastos Triantaphyllides.
The carved wooden casket of Sophia Laskaridou, carved by her
The award of the Silver Cross of the Knights to Constantine Maleas
How do you plan to utilize this archive?
The entire Collection is currently in storage, looking for a sponsor for the creation of a unique Museum, or a buyer who will utilize it in this direction.
