Jannis Kounellis was a pivotal figure in the post-war European art scene, whose innovative work transcended traditional boundaries between painting, sculpture, and performance. Born on March 23, 1936, in Piraeus, Greece, Kounellis lived through the tumultuous periods of the Second World War and the Greek Civil War. In 1956, seeking a broader horizon for his artistic aspirations, he moved to Rome, where he enrolled at the Accademia di Belle Arti. This move marked the beginning of a profound engagement with the Italian art scene and the broader currents of European modernism. Kounellis's early work in the 1960s was characterized by his use of unconventional materials and his exploration of the space between art and life. He began his career with paintings but quickly moved beyond the canvas to incorporate found objects and organic materials into his work. This period was marked by his innovative use of numbers, letters, and words, often stenciled onto canvases, reflecting the signs and advertisements seen in the urban landscape. By 1960, Kounellis had started to introduce found sculptural objects, such as actual street signs, into his work, signaling a departure from traditional art forms and a move towards what would later be recognized as Arte Povera. Arte Povera, a term coined by Italian art critic Germano Celant in 1967, described a group of artists whose work emphasized a radical engagement with materials and processes, often incorporating everyday objects and organic materials to challenge the commercialization of art. Kounellis became one of the movement's leading figures, known for his ability to blend painting, sculpture, and performance into a coherent artistic vision that questioned the nature of art itself. His participation in the seminal exhibition "Arte Povera – e IM Spazio" at the La Bertesca Gallery in Genoa in 1967 cemented his position within the movement. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Kounellis continued to expand his use of materials, incorporating elements such as fire, earth, burlap sacks, and even live animals into his installations. One of his most famous works from this period, "Untitled (12 Horses)," featured a dozen horses tethered to the walls of Galleria L'Attico in Rome, blurring the lines between life and art and transforming the gallery space into a dynamic environment. This work exemplified Kounellis's interest in creating art that was not only visually compelling but also engaged the viewer's senses and emotions. Kounellis's work from the 1980s onwards maintained his interest in the materiality of objects and their cultural and historical resonances. He continued to explore the relationship between art, history, and memory, often creating large-scale installations that combined industrial materials with references to classical antiquity and modern European history. His work during this period traveled extensively across Europe, participating in major exhibitions and biennales, and becoming integral to the collections of numerous international museums. Kounellis's contributions to contemporary art were not limited to his role as an artist. From 1993 to 2001, he taught at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, influencing a new generation of artists with his interdisciplinary approach and his emphasis on the material and historical dimensions of art-making. His work has been the subject of numerous retrospectives and is held in major institutional collections, including the Guggenheim, MoMA, and Tate Modern. Jannis Kounellis passed away on February 16, 2017, in Rome, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire artists and audiences alike. His work remains a testament to the power of art to engage with the complexities of human experience, challenging us to see the world anew through the transformative lens of creativity.

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