The National Library of Greece presents the exhibition “Angelos Spachis (1903-1960)”, on the work of the great and largely unknown Greek graphic designer. The exhibition, accompanied by an extensive catalogue, includes a wide range of his work: drawings, oil paintings, scale models, books, advertisements, caricatures, objects, constructions, photographs.

Spachis was born in 1903 in Athens. This versatile artist, although self-taught, was one of the most innovative Greek artists of the interwar period. He began his career in 1922 as a cartoonist for the newspaper Eleftheron Vima and was a member of the pioneering interwar ‘Art Group 1930’, while he also contributed to the Greek participation at the Venice Biennale in 1934.  He embraced the principles of modern art and was among the first artists who became familiar with the collage technique, creating some of the most revolutionary artwork, by the Greek art standards of that particular period. Angelos Spachis made some memorable stage design work and was, in fact, responsible for the set design for the stage design of the famous production of Hecuba, directed by Fotos Politis, which is considered the first revival of ancient drama in modern times.

After the Second World War, Spachis distanced himself from painting and became exclusively involved in the applied arts, especially in advertising, poster design (since he already had a long tenure in creating travel posters for the Greek National Tourism Organization in the 1930s) and interior design, where he proved to be innovative once again by adopting and promoting the Bauhaus aesthetic in Greece. He worked as an artistic consultant for the tobacco companies Papastratos and G. A. Keranis, creating all the designs and logos of their products. One of his logos, designed for the Assos cigarettes by Papastratos, survives to this day, almost 100 years after its initial release.

Duration: 20/09/2022 – 20/11/2022

Opening hours: daily, 09.30 – 20.00

4th Floor Atrium, National Library of Greece

Free admission