The influential Greek painter Dimitris Mitaras is no longer with us…

The famous Greek painter Dimitris Mitaras died on Thursday aged 83 after years of struggling with serious health problems that finally claimed his eyesight.

He was a teacher in the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1969 and Dean of the school from 1982 to 1985. He also founded at his birthplace Chalkida, with the support of the Municipality, the Chalkida Art Workshop, that under his wife’s, Chariklia Mitara, management is extremely active in the cultural life of the wider area.

Dimitris Mitaras was born in Chalkida in 1934 and studied painting in the Athens School of Fine Arts (1953-1957) with the teachers Giannis Moralis and Spiros Papaloukas before going to Paris with scholarship (1961-1964) at the École Nationale des Arts Decoratifs and the École des Arts et Métiers, for studies in scenography and interior design.

His first personal exhibition was in Athens in 1961, before turning to expressionism. His work was also presented in the Paris Biennale (1960), Sao Paulo Biennale (1966), Venice Biennale (1972) among others. He also taught interior design in the Athens Technical Institute (1964-1972). He also worked in the theater in scenography and wall painting in various buildings (banks, hotels, Athens underground etc.). He wrote books and studies on art and articles on various subjects, as well as poetry.

In 2008 he was elected a member of the Academy of Athens.