Alekos Fassianos (25 October 1935 – 16 January 2022) was born in Athens. He studied violin at the National Conservatory and painting under Yannis Moralis at the School of Fine Arts in Athens. In 1960, he received a scholarship from the French government and went to Paris to study lithography at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1969, art dealer Paul Facchetti discovered his work and they began a vibrant collaboration with the artist exhibiting alongside artists Jean Paul Riopelle and Georges Mathieu. In the seventies, he was represented by the gallery of Alexander Iolas, showing with Max Ernst, René Magritte, Giorgio de Chirico and Martial Raysse. Fassianos’ works travelled from Malmö to Tokyo through Zurich, Berlin, Milan, and New York. In the late 1980s, the artist expressed his desire to remodel the family building they owned in the historic center of Athens with the vision to house the Alekos Fassianos Museum. Architect Kyriakos Krokos oversaw the project, which was completed in 1995. Aside from painting, Fassianos was a writer, poet, ceramist, designer, scenographer, and architect. He created the costumes and stage sets for numerous plays, illustrated important editions for writers and poets, and created design objects such as furniture, lights, door handles and homeware for his residences in Athens and Kea. In 2021, Fassianos was awarded Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
