MARIOS PRASSINOS 1916- Born on July 30th. in Constantinople, Greek from birth. 1922- The Greeks leave Turkey to escape persecutions. The family settles in France, in Nanterre. 1927- Death of his mother Victorine Prassinos. Lycee, Faculte de Lettres Sorbonne, Ecole des Langues Orientales. He is involved in the surrealist experience between the ages of 16 and 20 together with his sister, the poet Gisele Prassinos. 1936- Death of his father Lysandre Prassinos. The family moves to Paris. 1938- Death of his grand father Pretextat Leconte, later to become the subject of the series of paintings "Les Pretextats". First private exhibition at the Galerie Pierre Vorms in Paris with a preface by Rene Char. Portraits of cats, warriors and of women. He marries Yolande Borelly. 1939- He volunteers for the war. 1941- Goes to live at 18 villa Seurat in Paris. 1942 to 1950- Meets Raymond Queneau, Albert Camus. Collaboration with the Editions Gallimard. Numerous engravings illustrating texts by Queneau, Sartre, Apollinaire, Rimbaud, Poe among others. 1946- Birth of his daughter Catherine. Publication of L'Instant Fatal by Raymond Queneau, with his engravings. 1947- Meets Boris Vian, for whom he'll draw costumes for a ballet, and the painter Alberto Magnelli, his neighbour at the villa Seurat. First scenography for Jean Vilar at the Theatre National Populaire (T.N.P.) and the Avignon Festival. 1948- First exhibition at the Galerie Billiet-Caputo in Paris, later named Galerie de France under the management of Myriam Prevost and Gildo Caputo. 1949- He is naturalized French. TROUPEAUX (Herds) series 1951- Purchase of a house in Eygalieres in Provence. Beginning of the ALPILLES. 1951 to 1975- Production of more than 150 tapestry cartoons which are woven at Aubusson, les Gobelins and Beauvais manufactures and are exhibited at the Galerie La Demeure in Paris from 1956 to 1974. 1953 to 1976- Regular exhibitions at the Galerie de France in Paris. 1953- Wood engravings and etchings for the Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. 1954- Set and costumes for Shakespeare's Macbeth staged by Jean Vilar for the first Avignon Festival and the T.N.P. 1957 to 1960- BOUQUETS and LES CYPRES (the Cypresses) series. 1958- Extended stay in Greece on the island of Spetsai. Inks and oils on paper: LES CYPRES DE SPETSAI series. 1960- Set and costumes for Erik XIV by Strindberg, then in 1963 for Verdi's Macbetto at the Scala in Milan. 1962 to 1975- Portrait work : portraits of BESSIE SMITH (1962 to 1964), portraits of his grand father PRETEXTAT (1963 to 1970), portraits of his father PERETEXTAT (1969 to 1975), LES SUAIRES (the Shrouds) (1974 to 1975). 1969- Scenography for the ballet Eonta on a music by Iannis Xenakis. 1970 to 1980- Work on the "PAYSAGES TURCS" (Turkish Landscapes) series. 1973- Publication of his book Les Pretextats, Editions Gallimard. 1976- Long stay at Mycenae in Greece where he begins writing La Colline Tatouee (the Tatooed Hill). The book is published by Grasset in 1983. 1977- Set and costumes for Cripure by Louis Guilloux, staged by Marcel Marechal. 1979- Exhibition at the French Institute in Athens. 1980- Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. 1980 to 1984- Several hundred oil paintings on paper developing the theme of L'ARBRE (the Tree). 1981- Set and costumes for Verdi's Otello staged at the operas of Marseille and Avignon. 1983- Retrospective exhibition organised by Presence Contemporaine in Aix-en-Provence. 1984- Exhibition at the French Institute in Athens, in Rhodes and Thessalonica. 1985- Works on the PEINTURES DU SUPPLICE (Paintings of the Suffering) for the Notre Dame de Pitie chapel at Saint Remy de Provence, in South Eastern France. Mario Prassinos makes a donation of a synthesis of his work to the French State: paintings, drawings, engravings, tapestries and prints. This collection, belonging to the National Contemporary Art Fund was placed in the hands of the Association FMP Donation Mario Prassinos, it was first showed in June 1986 at Saint Remy de Provence. Mario Prassinos died on October 23rd. 1985.

biography ŠAndrelis-Rye 2001. Portrait Photo of M. Prassinos: ŠLucien Clergue Photographer