Gianoulis Chalepas, return to Pyrgos (exhibition catalogue)

Gianoulis Chalepas, return to Pyrgos (exhibition catalogue)

Scientific editor: Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra
Texts: Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra, Tonia Giannoudaki
Athens 2018, 164 pp.
ISBN 978-960-244-199-2
€ 25.00

The publication of the catalogue Gianoulis Chalepas, return to Pyrgos, scientific editor Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra, accompanies the temporary exhibition of the same name held at the Museum of Marble Crafts at Pyrgos, on Tinos (18.07-30.09.2018). The exhibition, a collaboration between the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation and the National Gallery-Alexandros Soutzos Museum, was organised to commemorate the 80th anniversary since the death of Tinian sculptor Gianoulis Chalepas (1851-1938).

The catalogue opens with an introductory text by Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra, “Gianoulis Chalepas, return to Pyrgos”, and is followed by the text “Personal life-experiences and artistic creation. Nine sculptures by Gianoulis Chalepas from the National Gallery’s Collections” by Tonia Giannoudaki, curator of the National Gallery’s Collection of Modern Greek and European Sculpture. In the catalogue, a prominent position is given to the presentation, for the very first time, of thirty-five unpublished sketches in pencil by Chalepas, material belonging to the Nikolaos Doukas Collection and whose scientific documentation was undertaken by Alexandra Goulaki-Voutyra. The catalogue is further enriched with a section about eleven drawings by the artist from the National Gallery’s Collections, as well as another reproducing the financial ledgers of the workshop of Ioannis Chalepas, the sculptor’s father. In parallel, Chalepas’ social circle in Pyrgos and Athens is showcased through photographs from the archives of Konstantinos P. Kalaitzidis.

The catalogue is both a reference point and a bibliographic tool for academics and researchers, while simultaneously being aimed at the general public, which loves and admires the timeless value of Gianoulis Chalepas’ work, his sculptures and sketches.