YANNIS STEPHANIDES
Fergana 1919 - Athens 2010
The artist and illustrator Yannis Stephanides, more than 250 of whose drawings adorn the eight volumes of the Greek Mythology series, was one of the most important painters of his generation. He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. In addition to painting, he worked as a book illustrator, a field in which he became known both in Greece and abroad. Among his major achievements are the more than five hundred colour illustrations he created for the 18-volume children's edition of Greek Mythology, a landmark in publications for young people that has been translated into eleven languages.
From 1995 he has also made a name for himself as an author, illustrating his own books.
Yannis Stephanides's work has been displayed at many painting, printmaking and illustration exhibitions in Athens and at international venues.
He was awarded the Pier Paolo Vergerio European Prize for book illustration by the University of Padua in 1989, and in 1998 he received an award from the Greek section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). He also won an "Excellent" award at the International Print Biennale 2000 in Qingdao, China.