Constantine Andreou
| Constantine Andreou | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 24, 1917 São Paulo, Brazil |
| Died | October 8, 2007 (aged 90) Athens, Greece |
| Known for | Painting, sculpture |
| Notable work | Globe – Trinité (1974) |
| Awards | Gran Prix d' Antoine Pevsner (1988), Croix de Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (2000), Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2005) |
Constantine Andreou (also: Costas Andreou, Kostas Andreou; French: Constantin Andréou, Costas Andréou; Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ανδρέου, Κώστας Ανδρέου) (March 24, 1917 – October 8, 2007) was a painter and sculptor of Greek origin with a highly successful career that spanned six decades. Andreou has been praised by many as an eminent figure in international art of the 20th century.
Constantine Andreou was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1917 to Greek parents who had immigrated to Brazil a few years prior.
In 1925, his family moved back to Greece where he settled in Athens until the end of World War II. During these years, Andreou dabbled in crafts and for a period worked as a carpenter making furniture while studying technical design. He graduated in 1935. In the same year, he started his study of sculpture, the art form for which he would be most known later.
In 1939, Andreou participated at the Panellinio (Πανελλήνιο), but the judges disqualified his three sculptures. In 1942], he tried again at the same competition and with the same artwork. The pieces were so lifelike, he was accused of cheating by copying nature. Three major personalities of the time in Greece, Memos Makris, John Miliades, and Nikos Nikolaou, came to his defense. As a result of the publicity, he had his first taste of fame and major exposure of his artwork.
In 1940, Greece entered World War II on the side of Allies, and by 1941, the country was under Nazi and Italian occupation. Andreou was initially drafted into the Hellenic Army in 1940 and during the occupation he was an active member of the Greek Resistance.
The war years and occupation did not stop Andreou from continuing his artwork and studies, and in 1945 he won a French scholarship to go to France along with many other Greek intellectuals on the Mataroa voyage.
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