Spanish curators bring exhibition on Dimitris Pikionis to Greece

Architect and creator Dimitris Pikionis successful Delphi, cardinal Greece. [Benaki Museum/Modern Greek Architecture Archives]

“Above all, Dimitris Pikionis was a creator and a calm man. For him, creation was the way to nature. His exhibition, presented successful the 21st century, whitethorn assistance us retrieve the slow transition of clip and punctual us that architecture tin beryllium an enactment of reflection, civilization and heavy transportation with the world,” Dr Covadonga Blasco, 1 of the two co-curators of the accumulation “Dimitris Pikionis: An Aesthetic Topography,” tells Kathimerini.

The exhibition, which was shown successful Madrid betwixt February 14 and April 27, aimed to show the originative process of the influential Greek designer done six of his architectural works, and was organized jointly by the Benaki Museum, the Cervantes Institute of Athens, the Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, and the Greek Embassy successful Spain. It was produced by the Circulo de Bellas Artes de Madrid.

This peculiar accumulation is present coming to Athens, opening astatine the Benaki Museum connected October 22. So, while we wait to spot successful Greece the worldly that emerged from the thorough probe of the Spanish architects and co-curators of “Aesthetic Topography,” Blasco and Juan Miguel Hernandez Leon, we wanted to find retired why the architectural assemblage of Madrid decided to grant Pikionis.

“Pikionis’ work is known to specialists, but remains astir unknown to the wide Spanish public,” Blasco says. “It is usually mentioned lone successful narration to the shaping of the landscaping of the entree to the Acropolis Hill. However, successful a clip of situation of European foundations, we wanted to item the complexity of his personality, however helium sought to reconcile Greek individuality with creator modernity. The accumulation delves into his beingness and work done six emblematic architectural works, which uncover his unique vision of the scenery arsenic a work of art.”

View toward the Acropolis from Philopappou Hill. ‘Most visitors were impressed by the exemplary constructed to amusement Pikionis’ involution connected the Acropolis, astir which the full accumulation sermon revolves,’ says curator and designer Covadonga Blasco. [Circulo de Bellas Artes]

Pupil of Parthenis

Pikionis was calved successful 1887 successful Piraeus and successful 1906 became the archetypal pupil of the creator – then prof astatine the National Technical University of Athens – Konstantinos Parthenis. Two years aboriginal helium received his civilian engineering diploma and, being a student of such a teacher, helium near to study coating successful Munich, and then successful Paris. There, helium came into interaction with modern movements, particularly the work of Paul Cezanne and Paul Klee, and the sculpture of Auguste Rodin, while astatine the aforesaid clip attending courses connected architectural creation and working successful architectural offices.

At the opening of the 20th century, Pikionis had to look the unit for residential improvement successful his country. Reconstruction was not lone a necessity but besides a motivation mission

Returning to Greece, helium continued his work successful architecture and coating and was a subordinate of a prime radical that introduced the European avant-garde to Greece. Although helium was a modern of architects such arsenic Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, his architecture sought to integrate tradition with modern abstraction.

“At the opening of the 20th century, Pikionis had to look the unit for residential improvement successful his country. Reconstruction was not lone a earthy necessity but besides a motivation mission. In each his operation and renovation plans, we spot that his architecture is placed astatine the work of Greek culture, with examples such arsenic the Pefkakia superior school, connected Lycabettus Hill, and the Xenia Hotel,” Blasco says. “Pikionis wanted to lend to the reconstruction of his homeland, but not successful a superficial, profitable way. He wanted to bash so from his presumption arsenic a Greek citizen. Similarly, successful Spain successful the 1950s a akin interest arose: to execute the betterment of a modernity based connected the Mediterranean tradition that represented the authentic Spanish identity. The Alhambra Manifesto and the work of architects such arsenic [Fernando] Garcia Mercadal and Jose Luis Sert show this communal taste quest.”

The accumulation focuses connected Pikionis’ topography of the entrances to the Acropolis Hill, filled with visual references to its pavements. The work was completed, aft a agelong and analyzable operation process, successful 1958. The architect’s images and drawings are interspersed with his ain words, conveying his handwritten notes, thoughts and vision. As Hernandez Leon noted, “Pikionis sought to rise a question of individuality successful art, combining Hellenism with modernism.”

According to the Circulo de Bellas Artes, “Aesthetic Topography” was warmly received successful Madrid and attracted planetary interest. More than 5,000 radical visited it, while galore Greeks passing done the metropolis were surprised to observe an accumulation dedicated to “their” architect.

Characteristic elements of Pikionis’ slated way that leads to Philopappou Hill. [Circulo de Bellas Artes]

Intervention connected the Acropolis

“Most visitors were impressed by the exemplary constructed to amusement Pikionis’ involution connected the Acropolis, astir which the full accumulation sermon revolves,” says Blasco.

Indeed, successful this exhibition, which is divided into the themes of coating and thought, architecture and model, moving from the idiosyncratic constituent of the archetypal portion to the architectural achievements of the second, the visitor ends up successful the third conception where a three-dimensional depiction of the Acropolis and Philopappou Hill country dominates, successful which Pikionis’ morphological involution is seen successful its entirety.

We inquire Blasco which aspects of Pikionis’ attack to mixing tradition and modernism she believes are astir applicable to modern architectural practice. “The champion modern architecture takes into relationship its narration to ιστοσελίδα and landscape. In fact, the caller conception of ‘urban landscape’ practice responds to the understanding that architecture and gathering person a work to prosecute successful a dialog with what already exists connected site,” she explains.

“In his writings, Pikionis refers to the cardinal narration betwixt idiosyncratic things (the parts) and the whole arsenic ‘universal harmony.’ We reason that this narration besides exists successful each prime architecture (whether modern oregon classical). Our extremity with this accumulation was not lone to item the magnificent bequest of Dimitris Pikionis successful the 21st century, but besides to retrieve a ‘sensitive gaze’ that leads us to understand him amended today than successful the past.”

A item from the Church of Agios Dimitrios Loubardiaris connected Philopappou. [Circulo de Bellas Artes]