Christian Zervos
Christian Zervos (Argostoli, Cefalonia, Greece, January 1, 1889 – September 12, 1970, Paris) was a Greek-French art historian, critic, collector, writer and publisher. Christian Zervos was born in Cefalonia and raised in Alexandria and Marseille, in 1911 Zervos moved to Paris to study philosophy. In 1916 he became the editor of the magazines L'Art d'aujourd'hui and Les arts de la maison.
Christian Zervos

archives P. Gargallo · Public domain
- Full name
- Χρήστος Ζερβός.
- Born
- 1889. · Argostoli.
- Died
- 1970. · 7th arrondissement of Paris.
- Nationality
- France and Greece.
- Occupation
- choreographer, editor, publisher, art historian, designer, collector and writer.
- Fields
- art history, collecting, literature and art criticism.
- Languages
- French and Modern Greek.
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Christian Zervos (Argostoli, Cefalonia, Greece, January 1, 1889 – September 12, 1970, Paris) was a Greek-French art historian, critic, collector, writer and publisher. Christian Zervos was born in Cefalonia and raised in Alexandria and Marseille, in 1911 Zervos moved to Paris to study philosophy. In 1916 he became the editor of the magazines L'Art d'aujourd'hui and Les arts de la maison.
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wikidata · Q1082430 · wikipedia · Christian Zervos
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Argostoli.
Birth place
7th arrondissement of Paris.
Death place
Publications
Zervos subsequently founded the magazine Cahiers d'art (1926–1960) in Paris, and ran an art gallery. He was a connoisseur of modern painting in his time, and of Greek art and prehistoric art. He published several books, of which the most important are: The Art of Crete, The Art of the Cyclades, L'art de l'époque du Renne en France, and a catalogue raisonné of the work of Pablo Picasso. Christian Durquet, Conservator of Patrimony at the Musée de l'Art Contemporain, ordered the establishment of a Zervos Museum at Vézelay. Salvador Dalí once credited him with being the 'most mediocre person that ever existed.'
* • Raoul Dufy, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1928 • Catalogue raisonné des œuvres de Pablo Picasso, éditions Cahiers d'art, Paris, 1932-1978 • Art de la Mésopotamie, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1935 • Matthias Grünewald: le retable d'Isenheim, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1936 • Art de la Catalogne, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1937 • Histoire de l'art contemporain, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1938 • Dessins de Picasso, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1949 • Fernand Léger: œuvres de 1905 à 1952, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1952 • Civilisation de la Sardaigne: néolithique au nouragique, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1954 • L'art des Cyclades, du début à la fin de l'âge du bronze, 2500-1100 avant notre ère, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1957 • Corpora, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1957 • Chauvin, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1960 • Brâncuși, éditions Cahiers d'art, 1957
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reference work
- “Christian Zervos”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1082430: Christian Zervos
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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