CREATOR

Yannis Moralis was born in 1916 in Arta. In 1927 he settled with his family permanently in Athens, where he studied at the School of Fine Arts under the tutelage of K. Parthenis, D. Geraniotis, Um. He worked with G. G. G. Gourgiotis, W. Argiros, W. Argyros and G. G. Gourgiotis. He continued his studies in Rome (1936) and Paris (1937-1939) on a scholarship from the Academy of Athens. In Paris, he attended courses in painting and mural painting at the École des Beaux Arts and in electives at the École des Arts et Metiers. He returned to Greece in 1939 in a hurry to enlist, abandoning his studies like most students. In 1947 he was elected full professor of the preparatory class at the A.S.C.T. and ten years later full professor of the painting workshop, from which he retired in 1983. A versatile artist, he collaborated as set and costume designer with the National Theatre, the Art Theatre and Rallou Manou's Greek Choreography. He also illustrated books and worked in the decoration of buildings, in some cases collaborating with the ceramist Eleni Vernadakis. He has received many awards for his work and his artistic contribution: Order of the Order of the Phoenix (1965), Award of the Arts of the Academy of Athens (1979), Gold Medal at the International Crafts Exhibition in Munich (1973). He presented his work in a multitude of solo and group exhibitions as well as in international events: the Venice Biennale (1958 together with G. Tsarouchis), Europalia (Brussels, 1982), etc. He died in Athens in 2009.