Evgenios Spatharis ( el, Ευγένιος Σπαθάρης; January 2, 1924 – May 9, 2009) was the most prominent

shadow theatre The Shadow Theatre is an Edmonton-based theatre company born of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in 1990. History Shadow Theatre was incorporated in 1992, operating under the governance of a volunteer Board of Directors. Co founded by H ...

artist in Greece. He is credited with having brought the traditional

Karagiozis Karagiozis or Karaghiozis ( ell, Καραγκιόζης , tr, Karagöz ) is a shadow puppet and fictional character of Greek folklore, originating in the Turkish shadow play Karagöz and Hacivat. He is the main character of the tales narrated i ...

plays to mass audiences through television, recordings and cinema.

Biography

Evgenios Spatharis was born in

Kifissia Kifissia or Kifisia (also Kephisia or Cephissia; el, Κηφισιά, ) is one of the most expensive northern suburbs of Athens, Greece, mainly accessed via Kifissias Avenue, running all the way from central Athens up to Theseos Avenue in the subu ...

in 1924, son of Sotiris Spatharis, himself a famous puppeteer. He progressively got introduced to his father's art, despite his father's reluctance, since his wish was for Evgenios to become an architect. His first public performances were during the German occupation of Greece, when he frequently used heroic themes in order to strengthen the morale of the population. During one of his shows, the Germans arrested him and brought him to the local ''Kommandantur'' for interrogation. Using an old connection of his, he managed to perform for them and they were so impressed that they decided to send him to perform to Germany. Besides being the most famous performer of

, he was also an accomplished painter, with over 50 exhibitions of his works. He has collaborated with many of the most important Greek artists, like Manos Hadjidakis, Dionysis Savvopoulos,

Rallou Manou Rallou Manou ( el, Ραλλού Μάνου; 1915-1988) was a noted Greece, Greek choreographer, modern dancer and dance teacher. Early life and ancestry She was daughter of Colonel Petros Manos (fencer), Petros Manos, aide-de-camp of King Constant ...

, Stavros Xarchakos, Melina Merkouri and others.

Honorary memberships and awards

Spatharis was a member of the Chamber of Artists of Greece and the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. He was awarded the Rome Prize in 1962, the Toscanini medal in 1978 and several other awards, while in 2007 the Greek culture ministry awarded him the title of 'Grand Master' in recognition of his great contribution to his art.

Death

Spatharis was invited to an event at the Athens Goethe Institut on Wednesday, 6 May, where he was scheduled to give a lecture. While heading to the lecture room, he fell from the stairs and had a severe head injury. He was immediately transported to KAT hospital; however, he never recovered and died the following Saturday, at the age of 85.

Legacy

Especially in his last two decades, Spatharis enjoyed wide acclaim and respect as a towering figure of the Greek shadow theatre and of cultural life in general. His death caused a stream of encomia from critics, journalists and public figures. He created the

Spathario Museum The Spathario Shadow Theatre Museum is a museum in Maroussi, Athens, Greece. It exhibits mostly shadow puppet artifacts and it is named after prominent Greek puppet shadow artist Evgenios Spatharis. It was established in 1991 in the municipality of ...

in 1991, devoted exclusively to his art.

References

External links