Takis (Panayiotis Vassilakis) (1925 - 2019)

Mur magnétique jaune

Yellow Magnetic Wall
1976
    Magnets, plastic string and metal on canvas
175 × 359 cm
Current location
Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Athens
Floor 4th
Tour Guide Code
344
Audio Guide

Already from the end of the 1960s, Takis had begun investigating magnetic forces and the energy of magnetic fields, fundamental elements of his artistic oeuvre. He experimented, creating his first tele-magnetic works, known as “telesculptures” and “telepeintures.

Yellow Magnetic Wall, 1976, is a characteristic example of Takis’ persistence and adventurous inventiveness aimed at conquering the dimensions of space. The canvas is transformed into a three-dimensional sculpture, while the elements are removed and hover in space. Thus, the shadows of the hovering elements projected onto the canvas ascribe an expression of the third dimension on the two-dimensional surface itself. The intense yellow colour and the overall composition reveal the playful demeanour with which Takis approached his creations and which every researcher hides within.

The internationally renowned sculptor Panayiotis Vassilakis, known by the pseudonym Takis, was born in Athens in 1925. Self-taught by conviction, he established himself as a kinetic art innovator. Through his works he managed to create an unbreakable connection between art and science, combing in his sculpture elements of both nature and physics.

His childhood and early adolescence were marked by the war, the German occupation and Greek civil conflict. Aged around 20, he created his first sculptures inspired by the ancient Greek civilisation but also by sculptures by Picasso and Giacometti. He arrived in Paris in 1954 and joined Brâncuşi’s studio for a few months, while over the next three years or so he travelled and lived between Paris and London and was inspired to create his first kinetic works.

A multifaceted and inventive artist, he studied hydrodynamic energy and became involved in creating hydromagnetic and electromagnetic sculptures. He experimented with all the environmental and natural elements which often cannot be detected with the naked eye, such as magnetic forces and the forces of magnetic fields, founding elements of his artistic oeuvre.

Works by Takis are exhibited in permanent collections and museums throughout the world, including the Centre George Pompidou, the Palais de Tokyo, the Jeu de Paume in Paris, the ΜoΜΑ and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Menil Collection in Houston, the Tate Modern in London, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

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Takis (Panayiotis Vassilakis)
(1925 - 2019)
Gender
Man
Nationality
Greek
First Name
Panayiotis
Last Name
Vassilakis
Birth
Athens, Greece, 1925
Death
Athens, Greece, 2019