Jannis Kounellis Italy, 1936-2017

Born in 1936 in Piraeus, Greece, Kounellis moved to Rome in 1956, where he still lives and works. He studied in Art College in Athens until 1956 and then went to Italy. He settled in Rome, studying at the Accademia di Belle Arti, where he was particularly influenced by the non-figurative painting of Alberto Burri. He has recently been honored with exhibitions at the Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece (2012); the Museum of Contemporary Art, Herning, Denmark (2009); the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany (2007); the MADRE Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina, Naples, Italy (2006); and the Galeria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome, Italy (2002). Earlier on, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía held an exhibition of his work in Madrid in 1997. In 1994, Kounellis installed a comprehensive selection of works from the past thirty years in a boat called Ionion and docked this floating retrospective in his home port of Piraeus. In 1989, the artist was given an exhibition at the Espai Poblenou in Barcelona. Kounellis took part at the Venice Biennale several times as well as Documenta 5 in 1972 and Documenta 7 in 1982. Between 1993 and 2001 he held a professorship at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art. His work is represented in many renowned national and international collections.