Charos Manolis

Born in Kythira in 1960, he studied painting and printmaking at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1978-1982). Then he continued on to postgraduate studies in Image Communication at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (1982-1983). In 1981 he had his first solo exhibition in Athens (Polyplano),
while in 1984 he was awarded for his lithographic works with the French prize Prix des Fondations (1984), followed by the Athens Academy Award for artists under 40, in 1988.

Charos has held more than thirty solo exhibitions at museums and galleries in Greece and abroad. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions and international events in various cities worldwide. More specifically: 2nd and 3rd Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (Thessaloniki, 1986; Barcelona, 1987), International Competition of the Monte Carlo Art Museum (Monaco , 1992), Festival International de la Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer (France, 1994) Art Athina 3 (1995), Salon de Montrouge, (Paris 1997), et al. In 2000, Charos was the an artist-in-residence at Princeton University of USA, where he also started  his research into Aesop’s Fables, the theme of his major solo show at the Benaki Museum in 2011.

His work includes paintings, prints and three-dimensional constructions. He uses various media and materials, emphasizing on the poetic use of colour, which is one of the most characteristic features of his art. Sometimes his style is abstract, but his images usually express a narrative vein, which seems to develop itself almost spontaneously through very particular themes. He paints scenes alluding to myths, or a fairytale-like nature with simplicity, emotion, sensibility, and perhaps even a subtle touch of irony. Alongside his printmaking and painting exhibitions, he has devoted part of his artistic practice to object and furniture design, and has also designed toys and print materials. Moreover, he has illustrated books, mainly with lithographic and etching prints. His works and designs have been used for both commercial brands and public institutions like, Absolut Vodka campaign in 1991 and the Greek National Book Centre (paper) campaign in 1996.

Charos is numbered among the most important representatives of his generation, works of his are kept in significant public and private collections around the world.

He lives and works between Athens, Paris and Kithira islands.