“Halepas – The sculpture’s highest lesson” exhibition

The “Halepas – The sculpture’s highest lesson” exhibition brings together two highly significant entities within the work of Yanoulis Ηalepas: the collection of the Cultural Foundation of Tinos, containing works from the first and, mainly, the second period of the artist in Tinos, and the Onassis Foundation Collection, of which works from the sculptor’s third and Athens-bred period are being presented for the very first time.

In the “Halepas – The sculpture’s highest lesson” exhibition, curated by Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra, the total of Halepas’ surviving works from his first and second period in Tinos (1918-1930) are collected at large, granting us the unique opportunity to witness the unfolding of his creative trail in Athens, with more than 30 works that mark his third artistic period and are part of the Onassis Foundation Collection.

Principally however, with this exhibition, we are able to finer comprehend the great turn that the artist made in his work when he resumed his artistic practice on the island; to further realize the urgency of the material, as well as the obstacles that led to the formulation of the “novel” Halepas’ plastic language.

Following the “Yanoulis Halepas: Debits and Credits” exhibition, held in the spring of 2022 at the Teloglion Foundation of Arts in Thessaloniki, in collaboration with the Onassis Foundation, the works of the eminent sculptor travel to his birthplace, the place where he lived and drew inspiration, devising as such an exhibition that is primed to cover a significant expanse of his artistic creation. Belonging to the Onassis Foundation Collection, the works presented for the first time include the iconic work “Oedipus and Antigone” – his first work following his relocation to Athens –, two attempts on the theme “Satyr Playing with Eros” (no. Χ, 1931; and ΧΙΙ, 1936), the portrait of his niece Eftychia, bearing the artist’s self-portrait on the sculpture’s verso, and the “Sleeping Beauty” from the Strefis model (1937), among others.

The exhibition is under the auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakelallaropoulou, and is organized by the Cultural Foundation of Tinos, with the support of the Onassis Foundation and the cooperation of the Teloglion Foundation of Arts of AUTh.