Christos Kapralos

Christos Kapralos ( Greek Χρήστος Καπράλος , born November 16, 1909 in Panaitolion , † January 20, 1993 in Athens ) was a Greek sculptor of the 20th century.

Life and works

Kapralos was born into a farming family in the Aitoloakarnan town of Panaitolion in western Greece. Thanks to financial support from the Papastratos brothers , he studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts as a student of Argyros and later sculpture in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Colarossi . One of his professors was Marcel Gimond . In 1940 he returned to his hometown. Six years later he moved to Athens. In addition to Athens, Kapralos also had a studio on the island of Aegina from 1963 .

Kapralos created his works mainly in bronze and marble, but also in stone and wood. The central theme of his art was the human being, with inspiration from ancient art and mythology. One of his most famous works is a frieze depicting the so-called Battle of Pindus in World War II, when Greek troops defeated the Italian army. This frieze is now in the Greek Parliament. He also created works related to the Greek Civil War.

Kapralo's works have been featured in many Greek and international art exhibitions and have been awarded prizes. Among other things, Kapralos was awarded the Gottfried von Herder Prize in 1988.

The Christos Kapralos Museum is spread over three locations: in its former foundry in Athens, on the island of Aegina and in Agrinio.

Web links

• Greek website with biographical data and images of a work by Kapralos
• Aitoloarnania website with mention of Kapralos
• Greek-language newspaper article about Kapralos