Alexandros ALEXANDRAKIS was born in Athens in 1913 and died in Athens in 1968.

He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1931 to 1937, where he was taught by Spyridon Vikatos and Umvertos Argyros. During the German occupation of Greece, he also studied engraving under Yannis Kefalinos. While still a student, he worked as a cartoonist for the newspaper *Ethnos*, revealing his early talent for drawing and graphic expression.

Alexandrakis became especially known for his powerful depictions of the Greco-Italian War of 1940-41. Having served as a soldier at the front, he drew directly from personal experience, recording the hardship, drama and sacrifice of war with exceptional immediacy. His images of soldiers, battles and wartime suffering are among the most vivid artistic records of modern Greek history.

His work is characterised by dynamic composition, expressive line and strong emotional intensity. Whether working in painting, drawing or engraving, Alexandrakis combined academic training with a direct and dramatic visual language. His figures often convey movement, tension and psychological depth, while his wartime subjects reflect both documentary observation and a profound human response to conflict.

In addition to his war-related works, Alexandrakis also painted portraits, landscapes, genre scenes and compositions of everyday life. His artistic practice reveals a wide range of interests, from realism and illustration to expressive figuration and historical narrative.

His book *The War We Fought – 1940-41*, illustrated with more than one hundred drawings and paintings, was published in 1968, the year of his death. Works by Alexandros Alexandrakis are held in important public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Greece and the Hellenic War Museum.

Alexandros Alexandrakis remains recognised as one of the important Greek painters and draughtsmen of the twentieth century, admired for the force, sincerity and historical significance of his depictions of war.