Georgios Vroutos, Bust of Leonardos Mercatis

At the turn of the 20th century, sculptor Georgios Vroutos created the marble bust of Leonardos Mercatis, the General Manager of Ionian Bank between 1895 and 1901. The expertly sculpted facial features and fine rendition of the clothing details make it a well-rounded work of art, technically and aesthetically.

In 2010 the bust of Leonardos Mercatis was added to the Alpha Bank Art Collection. The iconic sculpture constitutes important historical evidence, inexorably tied to Alpha Bank’s history through the years.

His life in a nutshell

Georgios Vroutos (1843-1909) was born in Athens and hailed from the island of Crete.

Between 1859 and 1864 he studied Sculpture at the School of Arts in Athens – which later became the Athens School of Fine Arts – under Georgios Fytalis. He also took lessons in marble sculpting at the studio of sculptor Ioannis Kossos.

From 1866 until 1870 he studied in Rome, first at Academia di Francia, and then at Accademia di San Luca, under Adamo Tadolini and Filippo Gnaccarini. Both were students of famous Italian sculptor Antonio Canova.

In 1873 Georgios Vroutos returned to Athens and opened his studio on Filellinon Street, across the street from the Anglican Church. In his “small, glass-ceilinged and white art hideout,” as Gregorios Xenopoulos was fond of calling it, Vroutos created many sculptures.

In 1883 he was appointed professor of Plastic Arts at the School of Arts, a position he kept until his death.

Artistic influences

Georgios Vroutos was one of the most consistent and talented representatives of classicism in Greece. His academic training and the influences from Canova’s work led to a form-shaping idiom that artfully balances between classicist renditions and idealised realism.

A large part of Vroutos’ oeuvre falls under the portrait-statue tradition of 19th century sculpture. However, his flair for originality was already evident as early as the beginning of his artistic journey. And so Vroutos steered away from strict classicism, incorporating realistic elements in his work.

Favourite themes and artistic style

Ancient Greek art and mythology, as well as symbolic/allegoric compositions were Georgios Vroutos’ favourite themes.
Throughout his artistic journey, he worked on all types of sculpture:

• Funerary art
• Busts
• Statues
• Children in nature

An important donation

The marble bust of Leonardos Mercatis was donated by his great grand-daughter, Eleni Drakopoulou-Mercati.

According to family descendants, the bust was originally kept at the Mercatis Estate, in the yard of the Holy Church of Saint John of Benizeloi, between what is today Piraeus-Thivon, Petrou Ralli and Kifissou Streets.

After undergoing restoration, the bust was placed on a specially made plinth and installed on the ground floor of Ionian Bank on Pesmazoglou Street. The sculpture is still kept at the same location to this day, decorating the Alpha Bank building.

The Bust of Leonardos Mercatis by Georgios Vroutos is kept on the ground floor of the Alpha Bank building on 12 Pesmazoglou Street, Athens.

You can visit them by appointment. Contact us to book your visit.