 |
Georgios JakobidesGreek artist
Date of Birth: 11.01.1853
Country:  Greece |
Content:
Biography of Georgios Jakobides
Georgios Jakobides, a Greek artist, was one of the main representatives of the Munich School, a Greek art movement. He was the founder and first curator of the National Gallery of Greece in Athens. Jakobides lived in the capital of Bavaria for seventeen years, during which he worked in a studio creating paintings with mythological themes and portraits. In 1990, the Greek government invited him back to Athens to organize the National Gallery.
Born on January 11, 1853, in Lesbos, Eresos-Antissa, Greece, Jakobides initially studied in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire. From 1870 to 1876, he studied sculpture and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. In 1877, he arrived in Munich, at the Academy of Fine Arts, to further develop his skills as an artist under the guidance of Karl Theodor von Piloty, a prominent figure in realistic historical painting.
During his seventeen years in Bavaria, Jakobides developed a reputation as one of the most successful artists, influenced by German academic realism. His most famous works often depicted children. One of his notable paintings, "First Steps," completed in 1892, portrayed a grandmother assisting her granddaughter in taking her first steps. The older sister of the little girl, also depicted in the painting, observes the process. Jakobides' works sold for significant sums.
In 1904, Jakobides was appointed director of the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he taught for twenty-five years. During this period, he continued to paint and chose ceremonial portraiture as his main theme, including a portrait of Queen Sophia. While he opposed new artistic tendencies such as Impressionism and Expressionism, Jakobides supported young artists who wished to remain true to their own artistic directions.
Georgios Jakobides received numerous awards at five international exhibitions, including Berlin in 1891 and Paris in 1900. His works are exhibited at the National Gallery of Greece in Athens and can also be found in private collections, museums, and galleries worldwide, including the Art Institute of Chicago and various art galleries in Germany.
