Alecos FASSIANOS was born in Athens on 25 October 1935 and died on 16 January 2022.

He studied violin at the Athens Conservatory before turning to painting. From 1956 to 1960, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Yiannis Moralis, while also developing a strong interest in ancient Greek vase painting and Byzantine iconography. In 1960, he moved to Paris, where he studied lithography and came into contact with the artistic and intellectual circles of the period.

Fassianos became one of the most recognisable Greek artists of the second half of the twentieth century. Although he lived and worked between Greece and France, his work remained deeply connected with Greek history, mythology, popular culture and everyday life. His paintings often depict cyclists, sailors, winged figures, smokers, lovers and mythological characters, rendered in a distinctive style that combines modern figuration with echoes of ancient Greek art.

His work is characterised by clear outlines, flat areas of colour, warm Mediterranean tones and a strong sense of rhythm and movement. Through simplified forms and poetic imagery, Fassianos created a visual language that is immediately identifiable, blending the ancient and the modern, the mythical and the everyday.

In addition to painting, Fassianos worked in lithography, drawing, book illustration, stage design, ceramics and public art. He created sets and costumes for theatre productions and collaborated with writers, poets and publishers, extending his artistic language across many forms of cultural expression.

He exhibited widely in Greece and abroad, including in Paris, Athens, London, Tokyo, New York, São Paulo and Melbourne. His works are held in important public and private collections, including the Alekos Fassianos Museum in Athens, the National Gallery of Greece, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and the European Parliament Contemporary Art Collection.

Alecos Fassianos remains one of the most important and beloved Greek artists of the twentieth century, admired for his unique ability to transform Greek memory, myth and everyday experience into a timeless and poetic visual world.