I had the opportunity of meeting Stelios only a short while ago, in circumstances different from one would expect. The environment gave me the freedom to approach him and ask to write an article about him and his work!
I have discovered that he is a truly gifted artist, who has already received many awards and honours, and has participated in a number of exhibitions. I am convinced that he will be even more succesful and recognised in the near future and I consider myself lucky to have met him and given the opportunity to show some of his work!
Since we have only known each other for a short while, I have also asked Stelios to reply to some questions of the famous Proust Questionnaire in order to reveal some traits of his personality! And he was happy to oblige!
A short Biography
Stelios Panagiotopoulos was born in Athens in 1977.
He graduated with honors from the preparatory Tinos Fine Arts School, earning two awards during his studies in marble sculpture. He went on to study on a scholarship at the Athens School of Fine Arts, under the master scholar G. Houliaras, graduating again with honours. During his studies, he earned two distinctions for sculpture and productivity.
He worked at the Archaeological sites of Delos and Vergina from 2004 to 2008. Since 2009 and until today he works at the Acropolis Museum as a conservator and restorer of antiquities. What a privilege!
Stelios has already presented four solo exhibitions in 2010, 2014 and 2016 and has participated in a number of group exhibitions in Athens, Santorini, New York and Florida. His works can be found in private collections in Greece and abroad.
His next participation in a group exhibition will be in January 2018. So stay tuned!
The artist has already received two prestigious international awards: The Michelangelo Award from the Vatican in 2015 and most recently, in September 2017 the Dante Aligheri Award at Peschiera del Garda.
Proust Questionnaire
What is your idea of perfect happiness? To be surrounded by people who love you. And to do in life the things you love most…
What is your greatest fear? Death… but not only the biological death, also that of relationships and creations
Which living person do you most admire? I have the utmost admiration for my father, a devoted, hard-working family man. A true champion of life! I admire and respect him deeply.
What is the quality you most like in a man? I admire a determined and candor man.
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Honesty and ethos
What or who is the greatest love of your life? I worship art…it is now a part of me…
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would like to be less impulsive
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Gloominess… I admire people who are dignified and positive, even under the most difficult of circumstances.
What is your most marked characteristic? My stubbornness!
Who are your favorite writers? There are so many… I distinguish Kazantzakis for his spirit and Elytis for his poetry.
What do you most value in your friends? True friendship, with no compromises
Which historical figure do you most identify with?Zorba the Greek!
Who are your heroes in real life? My family
What is your greatest regret? Anything I may have done that hurt others.
What is your motto? “Reach where you cannot”.