Lot 42: Yannoulis Halepas (Greek 1851-1938)

The secret
signed in greek (on the left side)
bronze
48 x 30 x 20 cm. (18 7/8 x 11 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.) with the base

This lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artist's granddaughter Katerina Halepa - Katsati dated 24/10/02.

Literature:
Marinos Kalligas, Yannoulis Halepas, Bank of Commerce edition, Athens 1972, no 81 (the clay version is illustrated)

The artist's father ran one of the most significant and successful marble works businesses in Greece during the second half of the 19th century, with branches on the Greek islands of Tinos and Syros, as well as in Smyrne in Asia Minor, Bucharest and Rumania. Nurtured in this environment, Halepas decided to study sculpture in Athens. He trained with the sculptor Leonidas Drosis and in 1873 won a scholarship to continue his studies in Munich.

Upon his return to Athens in 1876, he opened his own workshop, accepting commissions for various projects, including his most important (and famous) one, that of the tomb of Sophia Afentaki at the First Cemetery of Athens. This is the best-known sculptural work of the 19th century in Greece and in many ways it launched his career as a sculptor. However, tragedy struck in 1877/78 when he showed the first signs of mental illness. He moved to Tinos to live with his mother where he continued to work. In 1925 he had a major exhibition at the Academy of Athens. After his mother's death, he moved to Athens in1930 where he lived with his niece.

His work is divided into three periods. The first (1870-78) is characterized by works that clearly exhibit the classicizing influences of the Munich Academy and are marked by a high degree of craftsmanship. From his second period remain clay and plaster models which show his new interest in pure plastic values and compositions of more than one figure. He continued the same tendencies during his third period but his figures assumed a more simplified form. While the works from this phase express a succinctly personal idiom, they also bear traces of cubism (schematization of forms), expressionism (deformations and greater expression) and surrealism (combinations of visions with his favourite subject matter). The present work dates from this last stage in his career.

Halepas is well known for daring to escape the strictly classical teachings of Munich and to create works that were innovative for the time. Aside from portraits, he also dealt with themes drawn from ancient Greek history and mythology.

Lot Notice:
This lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artist's granddaughter Katerina Halepa - Katsati dated 24/10/02