Jannis Kounellis

Jannis Kounellis (Greek Γιάννης Κουνέλλης, born March 23, 1936 in Piraeus ) is a living in Italy, Greek artists. The co-founder of the Arte Povera movement is considered as one of the world's most important contemporary Greek artists.

Life and work

He pursued his education at the Academy of Fine Arts Athens until he moved to the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome in 1956. Since then, he lives and works in Rome. His work has been seen in the world's most prestigious art institutions.

In 1963, the artist began to integrate randomly discovered objects in his paintings, such as earth, potato sacks, scrap, or even fire. His works often take a lot of space or are clearly designed in a public space on provocation.

So he asked, for example, from 1969 live horses in the Galleria l' Attico. In the same year he participated in the by Harald Szeemann staged in the Bern Kunsthalle legendary group show When Attitudes Become form ( When attitudes become form ) part. Jannis Kounellis took part in documenta 5 (1972 ) in the Department of Individual Mythologies: processes and documenta 7 in Kassel in 1982.

His Tragedia civile (1975 ) is part of each annual exhibition at the Columba Museum in Cologne.

1991 Kounellis was the first artist who carried out a project on the history of the synagogue Stommeln in the former house of worship. The project has since continued annually by other artists.

Particular attention also attracted his contribution to international sculpture project space Seduction 1992/93: A house high gallows was erected next to the Gothic Münster in Schwäbisch Gmünd. To him dangling a huge canvas bag filled with furniture. The protests of the population specific for weeks the local press. The work of art eventually had to be removed prematurely after the contents of the bag had been badly damaged by spring storms. On September 13, 2012, the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd announced that the intercalated at the town gallows yard has now been disposed of, as the wood sculpture rotted. Screws and fittings would remain, however, further secures.

Kounellis also designed stage sets and worked as a playwright. From 1993 to 2001 he was a professor at the Art Academy in Dusseldorf.

Public collections

  • Modern Art Gallery, Schaffhausen

Exhibitions (selection)

  • 2011: BEAUTY AND TRANSIENCE - Work of. Kounellis. Music. Quinn. Spoerri. Tàpies, Essl Museum - Contemporary Art, Klosterneuburg / Vienna
  • 2007: New National Gallery, Berlin
  • 2006: Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • 2000: Permanent 01 - Works from the Essl Collection, Essl Museum - Contemporary Art, Klosterneuburg / Vienna
  • 1999: ESSL COLLECTION - the first view, Essl Museum - Contemporary Art, Klosterneuburg / Vienna

Awards

429760
de