70 - ALEXIS AKRITHAKIS (1939–1994)

ALEXIS AKRITHAKIS (1939–1994) Rede in dem irrsinn der dich befallen hat (Speak in the madness that has taken hold of you) signed and dated “AKRITHAKIS 27.3.69 BERLIN” (lower right) and titled in Greek (lower left) tempera and ink on cardboard 100 x 150 cm. (39.37 × 59.06 in.) Painted in 1969. tempera and ink on cardboard Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, Germany. Exhibitions Berlin, Galerie Mikro in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Alexis Akrithakis, 1969, no. 25 (listed in the exhibition catalog). Akrithakis’s compositions seem to rise like colorful lava from the ground with the richness of patterns of spontaneous crystals. Nanos Valaoritis A recently discovered masterpiece unearthed from the quiet shadows of a collector’s attic near Leipzig, this flamboyant and highly original composition was exhibited at the artist’s historic first show in Berlin, where he had been living since 1968 on a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship. As noted by the late art critic D. Zacharopoulos, Akrithakis’s tempera paintings from that period were explosive and dazzling in color and form, and particularly original for their time.1 Created in the spirit of Pop Art and automatic Surrealism—which foreshadowed the graffiti-inspired art of Keith Haring—this imaginary microcosm of striking colors and bold shapes is imbued with a dreamlike quality and childlike wonder. A microcosm in flowing motion, in constant action—a quotidian baroque feast unfolds before us, revealing images of a firsthand experience of the world—as in a dream.2 The black-and-white border framing the main composition is created using the artist’s famous and highly personal “tsiki-tsiki” technique—a term used to describe the sound of pen or charcoal on paper as he drew these curly scribbles in his quiet studio.3 Drawing on surrealism’s automatic gestures and echoing the playful doodles typically found in teenage notepads and textbooks, tsiki-tsiki reflects the importance of writing throughout Akrithakis’s career: “In painting, words are redundant; in poetry, drawings are redundant; yet you design a poem, you write a painting.” Note that the painting’s title, inscribed in the lower left corner, is incorporated as an organic part of the image. 1. See D. Zacharopoulos, “An Unexpected Glimmer over the Abyss or the Artistic Oeuvre of Alexis Akrithakis,” in Alexis Akrithakis, exhibition catalog, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin 2003, p. 143. 2. C. Joachimides, “Wonderings of a Daydreamer” [in Greek] in Akrithakis, exhibition catalog, Goethe Institute, Athens 1968. 3. See R. Wiegenstein, “Some Reflections on Alexis Akrithakis,” in Alexis Akrithakis, Neue Nationalgalerie, p. 145. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Items subject to the artist’s resale royalty, payable by the buyer. For further information on this lot, please visit Bonhams.com