Demetrios Galanis
Illustration — Demetrios Galanis by Georgios Roilos Demetrios Galanis (17 May 1879, Athens – 20 March 1966, Paris) was an early twentieth-century Greek artist and friend of Picasso. In 1920, the year he completed his Seated Nude (private collection), he exhibited alongside such major figures of modern art as Matisse and Braque, while from 1921 on he also exhibited alongside Juan Gris, Dufy, Chagall, and Picasso. In 1920–21 he frequently exhibited in Paris and in 1922 his first one-man exhibition received the enthusiastic critical response that established his reputation.
Also recorded as Galanis Demetrius · Demetrius Emmanuel Galanes · Démétrius Emmanuel Galanis · Démétrius Galanis
Demetrios Galanis

Demetrios Galanis · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark
- Born
- Demetrios Galanis was born, sources differ on the date (on 17 May 1879, on 17 May 1882 and on 23 March 1882). · Athens.
- Died
- 1966. · Paris.
- Nationality
- Greece and France.
- Occupation
- painter, engraver, printmaker, caricaturist and graphic artist.
- Education
- National Technical University of Athens and Beaux-Arts de Paris.
- Teachers
- Nikiforos Lytras and Fernand Cormon.
- Languages
- Modern Greek and French.
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Illustration — Demetrios Galanis by Georgios Roilos Demetrios Galanis (17 May 1879, Athens – 20 March 1966, Paris) was an early twentieth-century Greek artist and friend of Picasso. In 1920, the year he completed his Seated Nude (private collection), he exhibited alongside such major figures of modern art as Matisse and Braque, while from 1921 on he also exhibited alongside Juan Gris, Dufy, Chagall, and Picasso. In 1920–21 he frequently exhibited in Paris and in 1922 his first one-man exhibition received the enthusiastic critical response that established his reputation.
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In this article
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Seated Nude was among the pictures exhibited, and in an introduction to the exhibition André Malraux described the artist's work as "having the power to stir emotions equivalent to that of Giotto." This show established Galanis's reputation as a painter and confirmed the favourable opinions already expressed on the quality of his work. Critics of his time paid much more attention to his figurative work than his landscapes, confirming the well-established view that Galanis's first and foremost concern was his love for the human form. Galanis received greater critical acclaim abroad in his lifetime than any other Greek modern artist of the early 20th century. The French state honoured him with the highest distinctions: full professor at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and a lifelong member of the Académie française. Having moved to Paris in 1900, living in Montmartre for fifty years in a house which is now the Musée de Montmartre, Galanis developed his artistic talent beyond painting. He was also known for his illustrative wood-engravings in books, such as the Limited Editions Club of Sophocles' Oedipus the King and the Cresset Press edition of John Milton's Paradise Lost. The Limited Editions Club published 1500 signed copies in 1955 and the sister organization, Heritage Press, then reprinted unsigned volumes. The most significant collection of Galanis's work is held in the Teloglion Foundation at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, although examples can also be found in London's Tate Gallery. His famous Seated Nude sold at auction for $221,860 in May 2006. "EI" Magazine of European Art Center (EUARCE) of Greece, 13st issue 1996, p. 14&30–31 (The strong ties of friendship that bound poet Yannis Koutsoheras are vividly described in an old text by the former, published in this issue for the first time)
Demetrios Galanis studied at National Technical University of Athens and Beaux-Arts de Paris. Training under Nikiforos Lytras and Fernand Cormon is recorded. The recorded working language is Modern Greek and French. Places of work recorded in the authority are Paris. Employment is recorded with Beaux-Arts de Paris and L'Académie André Lhote. Work by Demetrios Galanis is recorded in the collections of Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery of Athens and Averoff Gallery.
The authorities additionally record the headings Galanis Demetrius, Demetrius Emmanuel Galanes, Démétrius Emmanuel Galanis, Démétrius Galanis and Demetrius Emmanuel Galanis. His recorded languages were Modern Greek and French. He was the child of Emmanouil Galanis.
Identity
Identity
Demetrios Galanis is recorded as having studied at National Technical University of Athens and Beaux-Arts de Paris.

An apothecary is standing by the door of his shop and is watching two policemen bring him a man injured in a road accident. Colour lithograph after D.E. Galanis, 1903., 1903, by Demetrios Galanis
Demetrios Galanis · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection

An apothecary standing behind a counter is presenting a young woman with a high bill and is telling her that he agrees with her that one should not use to many drugs. Colour lithograph after D.E. Galanis, 1903., 1903, by Demetrios Galanis
Demetrios Galanis · Wellcome Collection, London · Wellcome Collection
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1879
Demetrios Galanis born at Athens.
1966
Demetrios Galanis died at Paris.
Places
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Athens.
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Paris.
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Primary material
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Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q330976: Demetrios Galanis
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reference work
- “Demetrios Galanis”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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Wikidata, structured authority record Q330976: Demetrios GalanisWikimedia Foundation
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Died at
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Formation and teaching. Galanis studied at National Technical University of Athens and Beaux-Arts de Paris. He trained under Nikiforos Lytras and Fernand Cormon. He was employed by Beaux-Arts de Paris and L'Académie André Lhote. He belonged to Comité national de l'estampe, Académie des beaux-arts, Academy of Athens and Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. He worked at Paris.
Career and activity
Recognition and collections
Work by Demetrios Galanis is
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Modern Art and National Gallery of Athens
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.
Elsewhere in Prints
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