VAVAGIAKIS

Artist Bio

New York painter Costa Vavagiakis's searingly honest portraits are both timeless and immediately compelling. Set against neutral backgrounds and bathed in dramatic light, Vavagiakis's volumetric figures emerge from the picture plane, returning the viewer's gaze. This intense close-up approach recalls the work of Alice Neel and Chuck Close; however, the 'hyper-real' rendering and psychological weight of his subjects produce images that are uniquely Vavagiakis' own.

The frontal pose and staring eyes of Vavagiakis' subjects also reflect his fascination with Greek Kouros figures. The artist's painstaking process allows him to capture every detail of form and expression, making each piece remarkable and rare. Vavagiakis studied painting and drawing at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York, NY. He has received several exhibition awards and has been featured in group shows at the Museum of the City of New York; Klienert James Art Center in New York; Tatistcheff Gallery in New York; and the Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts. In the fall of 1998 his work will be featured in a traveling exhibition of Greek American artists that will originate at the Queens Museum, New York. His work was recently acquired by the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, AK and was featured in an article on contemporary portraiture in Art & Antiques magazine.

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