Eleni Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou
The painter Eleni Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou, wife of the sculptor George Zongolopoulos,[1] was born at Modi, Asia Minor in 1909. Her father, Konstantinos Paschalidis, was a businessman and her mother, Despina Pappa, was a doll maker.
Childhood and education
Eleni Paschalidou was brought up in an urban family environment in Istanbul, where she as well as her sisters were nurtured with art and culture. Eleni’s mother, Despina, influenced her towards drawing and thus she began drawing at a very young age. Eleni’s generation (56 first cousins) produced any well-known artists including Giannis Pappas, Eleni Pagkalou and Andreas Vourloumis.
Eleni Paschalidou studied at Zappeio Girls School which was a fertile cultural environment that developed her aesthetic and artistic criterion. By the time Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou completed her Gymnasium studies she had already decided to devote herself to drawing. Her three foreign languages, French, Italian and English proved useful as she was to travel frequently. In 1922 her family moved from Istanbul to Bulgaria, then soon after to Thessaloniki and finally to Athens, where they settled permanently in 1925. In 1928, Eleni Paschalidou enrolled in the School of Fine Arts of Athens where studied drawing with Konstantinos Parthenis . In 1933 after the completion of her studies, she began her association with the sculptor George Zongolopoulos. In 1936 they married, sharing the same love for life and art for the following 58 years.
In 1937 Eleni Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou went to Paris, where El Greco’s work captured her interest. Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou took part in the International Exhibition in Paris and was awarded the silver prize. Her exposure there to Pablo Picasso’s work led her toward creative abstractivism in her art. In 1939 she took part in the International Exhibition of New York, where she was honored for her participation.
In 1949 Eleni Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou studied at André Lhote’s School in Paris. André Lhote was an advocate of contemporary art and Cubism. In 1953 she received a scholarship from the National Scholarships Foundation and thus she continued her studies in drawing in the Academia di Belle Arti at Florence, Italy.
From 1953 and on her travels in Spain, Italy, England and France influenced on her drawings. Eleni Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou focused on abstract and aniconic drawings.
In 1977 Eleni and Giorgos Zongolopoulos bought a studio in Paris in order to live in the center of contemporary art trends as well as to closely follow the movements in the Arts.
Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou worked passionately and participated in all the Pan-Hellenic Exhibitions up to 1965. She also took part in individual as well as collective exhibitions up to 1986.
She was an active member of the Société Européenne de Culture in Venice from 1956 as well as a teacher of many younger artists. Her works can be found in many private and public collections in Greece, Europe, U.S.A. and Israel. Indicatively in Greece her works are at: the Public Athens Library, the Ministry of Education, the National Bank of Greece, and the Greek Contemporary Art Museum I.Vorres. Major art works of hers in Greece are the wall paintings for the railway station of Korinthos (1955) and for the Medical School of the University of Athens (Goudi, 1961)
Eleni Paschalidou-Zongolopoulou died on February 16, 1991, in Athens.
Individual exhibitions
- 1951 “Romvos” Gallery, Athens.
- 1955 “Ilissos” Venue, Athens.
- 1962 Doxiadis Institute.
- 1962 Macedonian Art Company “Art”, Thessaloniki.
- 1962 Athens Technological Institute.
- 1964 «Il Canale» Gallery, Venice.
- 1966 «Motte» Gallery, Paris.
- 1969 Venue Κ.Τ.Ε. (Centre of Technological Applications), Athens.
- 1976 “Charitos” Gallery, Athens.
- 1977 «Motte» Gallery, Geneva.
- 1981 “Nees Morfes” Gallery, Athens.
- 1987 Art Venue “Epipeda”.
Participation in exhibitions
- 1937 6th Exhibition “Omas Art” , Art pavilion, National Exhibition of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki.
- 1940 Venue of Arts and Culture, Athens.
- 1946 Stockholm.
- 1947 London.
- 1955 Cairo Art Biennale.
- 1955 International Exhibition of Alexandria, Egypt.
- 1958 French Institute, Athens
- 1958 Collective Exhibition in U.S.A.
- 1959 Creuse Gallery, Paris.
- 1961 «Nees Morfes» Gallery, Athens.
- 1962 Besabel Museum, Jerusalem.
- 1962 «Zigos» Gallery, Athens.
- 1963 National Museum of Moscow.
- 1964 Antwerp.
- 1964 Tunis.
- 1966 Greek-American Union, Athens.
- 1968 Athens Art Venue Hilton.
- 1974 Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, Paris.
- 1975 «Numera» Gallery, Venice.
- 1977 Fiamma Vico Gallery, Venice.
- 1980 Biennale Cairo.
- 1981 SIST, Athens.
- 1982 Comparaisons, Grand Palais, Paris.
- 1982 Audiovisuel, Paris.
- 1982 Art Venue «Epipeda», Athens.
- 1982 Mantes la Jolie, Paris.
- 1984 Comparaisons, Grand Palais, Paris.
- 1985 Audiovisuel, Paris.
- 1985 Mantes la Jolie, Paris.
- 1986 Comparaisons, Grand Palais, Paris.
- 1986 Salon de Mai, Grand Palais, Paris.