Michael Axelos (1877-1965) - Between two worlds 

Michael Axelos was an artist of exceptional skill, whose significant output spanned different genres. A graduate of the Athens Law School and of the Athens School of Fine Arts, with extensive studies in painting later on in Paris, he devoted a large part of his life and work to the Bank of Greece, where he designed banknotes, coins and security documents. He approached all of these creations as small works of art, imbuing them with artistic qualities, on top of their functional value.

The Bank of Greece is the first of the two worlds alluded to in the title, the other one being the equally important and captivating, yet perhaps still unknown world of his paintings. The aim of the present exhibition is to highlight this part of his creative output through a representative sample of his work as an artist. From his early works as a student to his freer creations in his advanced years emerges an artist with solid draughtsmanship, a profound knowledge of colour and a sound technique.

The exhibition, which coincides with the passing of 50 years since his death, presents Michael Axelos to the public through a different prism, in the hope that, together with the accompanying catalogue, it will spark a reappraisal of a significant and multi-faceted oeuvre.