The National Library of Greece presents from 15 December 2023 to 18 February 2024 a tribute to the multifaceted artistic activity of Markos Kampanis. Painting, engraving, ecclesiastical art, books, all work together and unfold the personality of a low-key creator with an extensive range of production. The exhibition brings together works from the last three decades, with six major sections of work as the central axis, without, however, following the logic of chronological presentation. Rather than retrospective, the exhibition has a rather “ambidextrous” character, as it has no beginning and no end, and older works converse with newer ones.

The painter’s creative journey, from the early 1990s, when he first went to Mount Athos, until today, is expressed through a variety of means, combining the most traditional techniques with contemporary artistic tools. From the Athonite workshops for printing icons, the so-called stampadourika, to the maps generously offered in the use of Google Map, Markos Kampanis maps his personal myth with the very means of art as his navigator. Let the exhibition be considered a small celebration of the important artist’s achievements, in which the viewer is invited to participate rather than watching from a distance.

The exhibition is curated by art historian George Mylonas.

About Markos Kampanis

Markos Kampanis was born on 22 August 1955 in Athens. He completed his studies at the Athens College and studied painting at Wimbledon and St. Martin’s School of Art, London. In 1983 he lived in Florence painting landscapes and studying the museums of Italy. He is involved in painting, printmaking, book illustration, church iconography and, occasionally, set design and curating exhibitions and books. He has represented Greek art abroad, participating in the 1986 Alexandria Biennale, and in many other group exhibitions, and has had more than 20 solo exhibitions in galleries, museums and institutions in Greece and abroad.

Accompanying catalogue

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue curated by Stavros Zoumboulakis. It includes texts by Maria Vasilakis, Dionysis Kapsalis, George Mylonas, Irini Orati, George Triantafyllou, George Hadjimichalis, Zoltan Someghyi and Stavros Zoumboulakis. The catalogue attempts to shed light on various aspects of the artist’s creative work.