Lot 608 D

Inspired by classical antiquity and Italian renaissance, in his works, Joannis Avramidis is in search of the ideal stature and its proportions. Since his participation in the Venice Biennale in 1962, he is regarded as a classic of European sculpting. Michael Semff describes his works as follows: “The work by the Greek artist Joannis Avramidis sets standards. It holds its ground as an unshakable block in the art of the second half of the 20th century. He brings together the traditions of artistic expression of a thousand year-old Mediterranean culture where the human figure, his central theme, was radically and newly devised from the inside. In this respect, the system and the stringent principles of the artistic process enforce the elimination of subjective arbitrariness to a large extent. […] Avramidis' utopian notion of an „absolute figure“ accrues from the constant fight between the “data” wrenched from nature and the construction enforced by the idea: drawing and sculpture as an indissoluble interwoven approach to an ideal image of man spanning across time that is to be reconstructed.” (Michael Semff, Avramidis Skulpturen und Zeichnungen, Munich, 2005, p.21ff)