Mario Prassinos (30 July 1916 – 23 October 1985) was a French modernist painter, printmaker, illustrator,

stage designer Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trai ...

, and writer of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

-Italian descent.

Life and work

Prassinos was born in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(now

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

) in 1916, the son of Victorine and Lysandre Prassinos. In 1922, at the age of six, he immigrated to France with his family, who had escaped the brutal persecution of Greeks and other ethnic minorities by the Ottoman government. Prassinos became a naturalized French citizen in 1949."Modern European Paintings in New Zealand," Exh. cat. Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand, 1960, 19. He attended the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris beginning in 1932 and briefly trained in the studio of the French painter Clement Serveau (1886–1972). Through his father's literary interests Prassinos became acquainted with Surrealism, meeting

Paul Eluard Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, André Breton,

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to eac ...

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, , ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, and conceptual art. Duchamp is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso ...

and others in 1934, and decided to become an artist. From 1932 to 1936 he worked in a

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

style, introducing procedures of automatism and formal ambiguities that he retained in his later work. His first exhibition took place in 1938 at the Galerie Billiet-Pierre Vorms in Paris. That same year he married Yolande Borelly (1915-2015). His daughter Catherine Prassinos was born in 1946. Prassinos volunteered for military service in 1940, was seriously wounded and later received the Croix de Guerre (Cross of War). He also worked with the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, helping Allied soldiers escape Nazi-occupied France. During the period 1942 to 1950 he met

Raymond Queneau Raymond Queneau (; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo ('' Ouvroir de littérature potentielle''), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau w ...

and

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

and produced work for Editions Gallimard. Prassinos' work is found in major art museums in Europe and North America, including the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam;

Musée National d'Art Moderne The Musée National d'Art Moderne (; "National Museum of Modern Art") is the national museum for modern art of France. It is located in Paris and is housed in the Centre Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement of the city. In 2021 it ranked 10th in t ...

, Paris;

Kunsthalle Bremen The Kunsthalle Bremen is an art museum in Bremen, Germany. It is located close to the Bremen Old Town on the "Culture Mile" (german: Kulturmeile). The Kunsthalle was built in 1849, enlarged in 1902 by architect Eduard Gildemeister, and expanded ...

, Germany;

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London;

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, New York;

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York; Art Institute of Chicago, and others. Prassinos died at his home in Eygalières, France, on 23 October 1985. After his death, a donation of 800 of the artist's works was made to the French state. The "Donation Mario Prassinos" collection is housed in the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Pitié (also called Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs) in Saint Remy de Provence, France. His sister Gisèle Prassinos (1920-2015) is a noted

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

writer.

Solo exhibitions

* 1938 Galerie Billiet-Pierre Vorms, Paris * 1944 Galerie de la Pleiade N.R.F., Paris * 1948 Galerie Billiet-Caputo, Paris * 1950 Perspectives Gallery, New York * 1952 Galerie Apollo, Brussels * 1953 Galerie de France, Paris (and 1955, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1972, 1976) * 1956 Galerie la Demeure, Paris (and 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974) * 1958 Galleria Blu, Milan * 1960 Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand * 1961 Haaken Gallery, Oslo; Chateau Grimaldi, Antibes, France * 1962 Galerie Spinazzola, Aix-en-Provence, France * 1963 Arnhem Museum of Modern Art, Arnheim, Netherlands; Haarlem Museum, Haarlem, Netherlands * 1963 La Chaux-de-Fonds Museum, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland * 1964 Colette Ryter Gallery, Zurich (and 1967, 1971, 1973) * 1965 New Museum of Fine Arts, Le Havre, France * 1966 Merlin Gallery, Athens * 1968 Cantini Museum, Marseilles, France * 1970 Chicago Arts Club, Chicago * 1970

Musée Réattu Musée Réattu (Reattu Museum) is an art museum in Arles, housing paintings, including works by Arles-born painter Jacques Réattu, drawings by Picasso, as well as sculptures and a large collection of photographs.Michelin TravelMusée Réattu I ...

, Arles, France * 1971 Galerie Noella Gest, Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France * 1972 Ateneo, Madrid * 1973 Athens Art Gallery, Athens (and 1978) * 1974 Le Couvent Royal de Saint Maximin, Fondation Royaumont, Abbaye de Senanque, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, France * 1979 French Institute, Athens * 1980 Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris * 1983 Presence Contemporaine, Aix-en-Provence, France * 1984 Le Musee Departemental de la Tapisserie, Aubusson, France; French Institute, Athens; Grand Magister Palace, Rhodes, Greece; Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece; Medusa Art Gallery, Athens (and 2007) * 1986 Inauguration of the donation of Mario Prassinos to the French State, and then annual exhibitions, Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France * 1987 OMAC, La Malmaison, Cannes, France * 1988 Musee des Beaux-Arts d'Ixelles, Brussels; Musee Jean-Lurcat et de la tapisserie contemporaine, Angers, France * 1989 Galerie Inard, Paris * 1991 Pavillon des Arts, Paris * 1991 Titanium Gallery, Athens * 1995 Galerie Thessa Herold, Paris (and 1997) * 1996 Espace 13, Aix-en-Provence, France * 1998 Musee Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi, France * 1998 Musee de l'Hospice Saint-Roch, Issoudun, France * 1999

, Arles, France * 2000 Galerie Etats d'Art, Paris (and 2005) * 2001 Kydonieos Foundation, Andros, Greece * 2005 Galerie Andre Dimanche, Marseilles, France * 2006 Galerie La Hune-Brenner, Paris * 2009 Chapelle des penitents noirs, Aubagne, France * 2011 Medusa Art Gallery, Athens

Notes

References

* ''Prassinos, Arbres et bouquets'', préface de Myriam Prévot, Galerie de France, Paris, 1960. * Jean-Louis Ferrier, ''Prassinos'', Le Musée de Poche, Paris, Éditions Georges Fall, 1962. * ''Mario Prassinos, peintures et dessins récents'', textes de Mario Prassinos,

François Nourissier François Nourissier (Paris, 18 May 1927–Paris, 15 February 2011) was a French journalist and writer. Nourissier was the secretary-general of Éditions Denoël (1952–1955), editor of the review ''La Parisienne'' (1955–1958), and an adviser ...

, René Char,

Marc Alyn Marc Alyn (Alain-Marc Fécherolle), (born 18 March 1937 in Reims) is a French poet. Life He was mobilized to Algeria in 1957. He lived far from Paris, a farmhouse in Uzès, Gard. He traveled in the Middle East to the ruins of the Phoenician cit ...

, Jean-Louis Ferrier, Pierre Seghers, Jean Boissieu, Jean-Jacques Lévêque, Jean Lescure, Pierre Cabanne, Gisèle Prassinos et

Pierre Emmanuel Noël Mathieu (3 May 1916, Gan, Pyrénées-Atlantiques – 22 September 1984, Paris) better known under his pseudonym Pierre Emmanuel, was a French poet of Christian inspiration. Biography He was the third member elected to occupy seat 4 of the ...

, Paris, Galerie Nationale du Grand Palais, 1980. * ''Prassinos'', textes de Jean-Louis Ferrier, Gisèle Prassinos et Mario Prassinos, entretien avec Mario Prassinos, Aix-en-Provence, Présence contemporaine, 1983, 144 p. (). * ''Mario Prassinos'', Levallois-Perret, Les amis de Valentin Brû aymond Queneau n° 28–29, 1984 aymond Queneau et Mario Prassinos * Hélène Parmelin, ''Les Peintres de Jean Vilar : Calder, Chastel, Gischia, Jacno, Lagrange, Manessier, Pignon, Prassinos et Singier'', Fondation

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a sma ...

, Avignon, 1984. * ''La donation Mario Prassinos (catalogue raisonné)'', Catherine Prassinos et Thierry Rye, préface de Pierre Cabanne, Saint-Rémy de Provence, FMP Donation Mario Prassinos, 1990, 158 p. (). * Lydia Harambourg, ''Mario Prassinos'', dans ''L'École de Paris 1945–1965, Dictionnaire des peintres'', Neuchâtel, Ides et Calendes, 1993, (). * ''Correspondance d'Henri Parisot avec Mario et Gisèle Prassinos, 1933–1938'', Prassinos Catherine, Rye Thierry (éd.), Joelle Losfeld, 2003, 212 p. (). * ''Monographie Mario Prassinos'', peinture et dessin, préface de François Nourissier, Catherine Prassinos (expert de l'Union Française des Experts, UFE) et Thierry Rye (éd.), Actes Sud, 2005, 342 p. ().

External links

Mario Prassinos official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prassinos, Mario 1916 births 1985 deaths Greek emigrants to France Modern artists French surrealist artists Greek surrealist artists French abstract artists Greek scenic designers French scenic designers 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French male painters French illustrators French people of Greek descent 20th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 20th-century French printmakers Constantinopolitan Greeks Artists from Istanbul