Dimosthenis Kokkinidis

Demosthenes Kokkinidis was born in Piraeus on October 12, 1929. He attended the then Higher School of Commerce for two years. From 1952 to 1957, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts. In 1958, he spent two months at Mount Athos, where he studied Byzantine illuminated manuscripts. He received a two-year scholarship from the Italian government in 1958. From 1959 to 1961, he was in charge of the art department of the newly established National Organization of Greek Handicrafts. During the 1960s, alongside painting, he engaged in design for livelihood purposes, creating objects for both the domestic and international markets. He was a founding member of the "Art Group a" (1961-67) and the "Group for Communication and Education through Art" (1976-81). In 1975, he became a member of the Board of Directors of the State Scholarships Foundation (I.K.Y.). In 1976, he was elected professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and he served as its rector from 1979 to 1982. From 1981 to 1983, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Theatre of Athens. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece from 1995 and a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for the Study of Modern Greek Culture and General Education from 1997. He held numerous exhibitions in Greece. He was married to the painter Pepi Svoronou (1934-2011). He passed away on February 4, 2020, at the age of 91.