Evgenios Spatharis (; January 2, 1924 – May 9, 2009) was the most prominent

shadow theatre The Shadow Theatre is an Edmonton-based theatre company born of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in 1990. History Shadow Theatre was incorporated in 1992, operating under the governance of a volunteer Board of Directors. Co-founded by ...

artist in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. He is credited with having brought the traditional

Karagiozis Karagiozis or Karaghiozis (Greek : Καραγκιόζης), ( ) is a shadow puppet and fictional character of Greek folklore. He is the main character of the traditional Greek shadow puppet theatre, which dates back to the Ottoman era. He is t ...

plays to mass audiences through television, recordings and cinema.

Biography

Evgenios Spatharis was born in

Kifissia Kifisia or Kifissia (also Kephisia or Cephissia; , ) is a municipality and one of the most affluent northern suburbs in the Athens agglomeration, Attica, Greece, mainly accessed via Kifissias Avenue, running all the way from central Athens up to ...

in 1924, son of Sotiris Spatharis, himself a famous puppeteer. He progressively got introduced to his father's art, despite his father's reluctance, since his wish was for Evgenios to become an architect. His first public performances were during the

German occupation of Greece The occupation of Greece by the Axis Powers () began in April 1941 after Nazi Germany invaded the Kingdom of Greece in order to assist its ally, Italy, in their ongoing war that was initiated in October 1940, having encountered major strategic ...

, when he frequently used heroic themes in order to strengthen the morale of the population. During one of his shows, the Germans arrested him and brought him to the local ''Kommandantur'' for interrogation. Using an old connection of his, he managed to perform for them and they were so impressed that they decided to send him to perform to Germany. Besides being the most famous performer of

, he was also an accomplished painter, with over 50 exhibitions of his works. He has collaborated with many of the most important Greek artists, like

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Rallou Manou Rallou Manou (; 1915–1988) was a Greek choreographer, modern dancer and dance teacher. Early life and ancestry She was daughter of Colonel Petros Manos (fencer), Petros Manos, aide-de-camp of King Constantine I of Greece and his second wife Sof ...

Stavros Xarchakos Stavros Xarchakos, Greek: Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος (born 14 March 1939) is a Greek composer and conductor. Stavros Xarchakos was born in Athens, where he studied at the Athens Conservatoire. He has family origins from the Mani Peninsul ...

, Melina Merkouri and others.

Honorary memberships and awards

Spatharis was a member of the Chamber of Artists of Greece and the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. He was awarded the Rome Prize in 1962, the Toscanini medal in 1978 and several other awards, while in 2007 the Greek culture ministry awarded him the title of 'Grand Master' in recognition of his great contribution to his art.

Death

Spatharis was invited to an event at the Athens

Goethe Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a nonprofit German cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural ...

on Wednesday, 6 May, where he was scheduled to give a lecture. While heading to the lecture room, he

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

from the stairs and had a severe head injury. He was immediately transported to KAT hospital; however, he never recovered and died the following Saturday, at the age of 85.

Legacy

Especially in his last two decades, Spatharis enjoyed wide acclaim and respect as a towering figure of the Greek shadow theatre and of cultural life in general. His death caused a stream of encomia from critics, journalists and public figures. He created the Spathario Museum in 1991, devoted exclusively to his art.

References

External links

*
Spathario Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spatharis, Evgenios 1924 births 2009 deaths Greek puppeteers Accidental deaths in Greece Accidental deaths from falls Artists from Athens Shadow play