Kostas Koulentianos (1918-1995)
Kostas Koulentianos was born in Athens, in 1918. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1936-1939). In 1945, he went to Paris on a scholarship by the State of France. After a short term at the Beaux Arts and Zadkine’s studio at the Grande Chaumiere, he decided to turn his back on the academic idea of sculpture, taught in the Fine Arts Schools. His acquaintance with Henri Laurens, in 1947, played a very significant part in the future course of his work. One of his most important periods is “The acrobats” (1952 – 1959), which was followed by a turn towards abstraction. In 1962 he presents his first personal exhibition at the famous Galerie de France, while at the same time, he collaborates with known architects, in order to combine sculpture with architecture, creating grand sculptures for public buildings and open spaces. For the 15 last years of his life, he worked in Greece.