ΜARIA AΝGELIDOU THE GREAT GREEK PAINTER

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ΜARIA AΝGELIDOU THE GREAT GREEK PAINTER

Maria Angelidou was born in Nauplion, in Greece where she started drawing from her early childhood. Later she moved in Athens and her first teacher was A. Vasilikotis. In 1956 she studied at the Fine Arts School of Greece with teacher the famous Greek painter Yiannis Moralis. After excellent reviews on international exhibitions in Paris: ART LIBRE 1959 and 1960, in GRAND PALAIS Greek and foreign reviewers, Maria Angelidou decided to leave and go to Paris with scholarship of the French government. There she studied at the Academy DE LA GRANDE CHAUMIERE with professor M. YVES BRAYER, president of the Fine Arts Academy in Paris, and professor of ECOLE SUPERIEURE DES BEAUX ARTES, who bestowed her diploma with excellent reviews. At an international exhibition, between the people who signed the guest book of Maria Angelidou was JACQUES SHIRAC, then mayor of Paris and later PRESIDENT OF FRANCE, who wrote at the guest book the word: FANTASTIQUE (FANTASTIC), for Angelidou’s paintings. Maria Angelidou established a personal new style at her paintings that has to do with mysticism, metaphysical and the existence of hidden persons and feelings.

Angelidou’s works are:
A )Panhelenic exhibitions in Zapion in Greece:1957, 1960, 1963, 1969, 1971 and 1975.

B)Many personal exhibitions in Greece: Zygos 1958, hotel Grand Britannia in Nauplion 1959, Town Hal of Chios 1960, hotel Xenia of Nauplion 1969, Nees Morfes 1964, Nea Galerie (Ipiti Plaka) 1965, Tholos 1968, Municipal Library of Nauplion 1966, Thymeli 1983, Cultural Center of Municipal of Athens 1993 etc.

C)Group exhibitions: Greek-American Union, Thessaloniki, Nauplion, Argos, Patra, Tripoli, Kalamata, Heraclion of Crete, Galerie AENAON 1992 and 1994 etc.

D)International exhibitions: 1964 BIENNALE Alexandria (Egypt), 1970 international BIENNALE Zagreb (Croatia), 1974 international BIARRITZ GALERIE VALLOMBREUSE.

E)Personal exhibitions in Paris: GALERIE MOUFFE 1960, HIER ET DEMAIN 1960 and 1961, GALERIE DUNKAN 1977 where she was awarded with the SILVER MEDAL OF FRENCH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX HUMANITAIRE DE FRANCE AVEC MEDAILLE D’ ARGENT.

E)Great international exhibition in France: a)Drawing Room of Independent, Paris, 1981, 1983 and 1985. b)COTE D’ AZUR, where she was awarded for the GRAND PRIX, 1985. c)CANNES SALLE CARNOT PALAIS DE CONGRES, special award. d) ARLES SALE VAN GOGH, award of Excellency, 1987. e)AIX EN PROVENCE SALLE VANG GOGH, special mention, 1987.

Paintings of Maria Angelidou are exposed in ministries, big organizations, collectors etc. Maria Angelidou was also member of the Art Chamber of Greece and for one year was general secretary there.

Today Maria Angelidou lives in her house - studio in Athens. She is thinking the possibility of returning in Paris where her work is recognized. However she has proposals and from USA.

Maria Angelidou passed away in Athens, forgotten from everyone, at the clinic IASO, from lung cancer on November 2004. She was buried in Nauplion where she was born and where her sister lives.

Note

The great recognition Maria Angelidou had, isn't even included in the Book of Greek Painters. When Maria Angelidou foolishly came back to Greece, she only found indifferent from the ministry of culture and from Athen's municipality. She lived in Greece ever since forgotten, kept painting in her poor apartment - atelier in Athens and she never deign to ask the "poor in mind", who are responsible for the Greek culture, to organize an exhibition for her paintings or at least include some of them in any exhibition.

The fact is that in Greece there have always been and still are specific groups that control each social sector, from the politics and universities to even the art. Some companies (music industry, theatrical businessmen, editors) have turn culture into a total commercial business. Culture ministry, on the other hand, acts according to its favoritism (giving extras) and limits events only in Athens. Unfortunately, today most of the persons been promoted in every culture sector, don't really have any talents. For example, there are actors that played in some TV show, and later played in the theater, even in Epidavros. The past few years, the most silly phenomenon is taking place in Greece, according to which actors are allowed to play in ancient Greek theater performances (even in Epidavros), who are only known from TV series, just because it's ...catchy.

In our days, it's a fact that the "corks" not only float above all, but they also produce sub-culture which spoils the young ones. In Greece, also, envy was always plenty. In ancient Athens, they send to exile Anaxagoras, Protagoras and Thucydides, forced Aristotle to leave the city and even executed Socrates. Greeks them selves send Theodoros Kolokotronis to jail, in Nauplion (Palamidi), the person that without him fighting at 1821's revolution against the Turks, Greece will still be Turkish. It´s the same envy that Maria Angelidou faced and every other Greek too, who managed to get famous outside the controlling group. But let´s stay to the luminous exceptions appearing from time to time objectively and not subjectively, because in the second case the persons been recognized would be very few...