Yannis Gaitis, In the Garden of Wonders

A staged spectacle

The scene depicted references a theatrical set, a museum hall or an exhibition venue. This association arises from the near-identical male figures, who turn their gaze towards a female head placed in a brightly lit area with geometric decoration.

The intense orange and yellow hues in the space in front of the head, combined with the green and black background, create a sense of tension and a carefully staged spectacle.

The work conveys humour and irony, elements that Gaitis often employed to comment on social uniformity and the mass culture of his time.

With simple visual means, he creates a work that remains relevant and combines clear social reflection with the power of the image.

Individuality in contrast to massification

Symbolisms permeate the work. Through them, Gaitis seeks to comment on the relationship between the individual and society.

The male figures, with geometric patterns on their clothing, appear identical, aligned, impersonal and without distinct individual traits.

By contrast, the female head at the centre of the composition, bathed in light and placed in a perspective reminiscent of a museum exhibit case or a stage, points to the importance of uniqueness and individuality. It stands apart from the surrounding figures, rendered with distinctive features by the artist.

The head appears as something curious, almost like a museum exhibit, before the identical little figures that symbolise the mass and the anonymity of society.

Through its composition and structure, In the Garden of Wonders offers a critical perspective on the human need to stand out within the crowd.

His life in a nutshell

Yannis Gaitis (1923-1984) was born in Athens. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1944 until 1951. 

In 1954 he moved to Paris. There he attended classes at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. 

Artistic influences

During his studies in Athens, Gaitis participated in the founding of the art group “Oi Akraioi” (The Extremists). Alekos Kontopoulos was also part of the group, as were other artists who had turned to abstraction.

In the 50s, during his stay in Paris, the painter was influenced by amorphous art. These influences contributed significantly to him creating his first dynamic figures and restricting his colour palette to white, black, red and blue. The figure of the little man was the natural evolution of the above.

From landscapes to little men

Until 1960 Gaitis’ works were abstract expressionist compositions and cubist landscapes.

Just after the mid-60s he started shaping his personal style around the human figures and their attached symbolisms. This is how he created his famous little men.

The little men were part of a faceless crowd, in the context of modern life and indiscriminate massification. Initially the little man is repeated around a central representation. Then they are given a shape and become standardised.

The spontaneous representation of the modern world through his own perspective for man became a perpetual exploration for the artist.

The little man became the foundation for the artist to create installations and sculptures, and he also used it on clothes, fabrics and toys.

Hardship before recognition

When Gaitis first appeared in the visual arts scene (in the 40s and 50s) his work was not well-received. His refusal to accept the merger of modern art and Greek tradition came in contrast with the trends of the time. 

He was very much aware of the fact that his critical stance against the phenomenon of massification may not be easily accepted by the public. As he said: “Today I create the little man. I don’t have the power to change him because the little man represents me perfectly... People do not want to see themselves as little men. This is why they say ‘that is not me.’ And yet, it is...”

Over time, through his work, he managed to overcome the initial negative expectations. Today his works are readily recognisable, and, what is more, they form their own, independent unit within modern-Greek art. Gaitis’ works stand out for their originality and symbolic themes.

Yannis Gaitis in the Alpha Bank Art Collection

The following works by Yannis Gaitis are also part of our Art Collection:

• Figures
• Untitled

Participation in Alpha Bank exhibitions

The work In the Garden of  Wonders was presented in the exhibitions:

• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1950 until Today at the Nestoridion Melathron, Rhodes from 08.06.2016 to 30.08.2016
• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1950 until Today at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete from 16.09.2016 to 20.11.2016.
• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1950 until Today at the Municipal Art Gallery of Larissa – G.I. Katsigras Museum from 09.03.2017 to 15.05.2017
• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1960 until Today at Momus, Thessaloniki from 10.12.2018 to 10.3.2019

Participation in other exhibitions

• Gaitis., National Gallery, 1984
• Contemporary Greek Art from the L. Beltsios Collection, Larissa Contemporary Art Centre, 1998.
• Oppositions-Convergences. Greek Art in the ‘60s and ‘70s from the Leonidas Beltsios Collection, Larissa, 2000
• Yannis Gaitis. The Essence of Anonymity, B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation, 08.02.2023-14.05.2023

The work of art in our publications

The work In the garden of wonders by Gaitis is referenced in the following Alpha Bank publications: 

• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1950 until Today, Rhodes, 2016
• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1950 until Today, Rethymno, 2016
• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1950 until Today, Larissa, 2017
• The Alpha Bank Collection. Greek Art from 1960 until Today, exhibition catalogue, 2018

In other literature 

The work is also included in the publications:

• Gaitis., retrospective exhibition catalogue, 1984
• Contemporary Greek Art from Beltsios Collection, edited by Dora Iliopoulou-Rogan, 1998.
• Oppositions-Convergences. Greek Art in the ‘60s and ‘70s from the Leonidas Beltsios Collection, edited by Manos Stefanidis, exhibition catalogue, 2000
• Manos Stefanidis, Ellinomouseion, vol. Α, 2001
• Zacharopoulos, Beltsios Collection. The Pioneers. A view of Greek art in the 2nd half of the 20th century., 2003
• Yannis Gaitis. All and Alone, exhibition cataloque, 2008
• Yannis Gaitis. The essence of Anonymity, 2023

In the Garden of Wonders by Yannis Gaitis is displayed at HUB26 in Thessaloniki.

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