The painter Christos Karas was born in Trikala, Thessaly, in 1930 and passed away in Athens in 2023.
He began his studies at Panteion University (1948–1950); however, as he was soon won over by art, he turned to the Athens School of Fine Arts (1951–1955), studying painting under Yannis Moralis and sculpture under Yannis Pappas. In 1957, on a state scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), he moved to Paris and continued his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts (1957–1960), specializing in the art of fresco. He remained in France until 1963, while also traveling to numerous other European countries.
During his initial creative phase in Paris, he engaged with collage made from torn posters and newspapers, while also developing an interest in gestural art. Upon returning to Greece in 1963, he co-founded the art group “Tomi” (Cut) with other artists—a progressive partnership aimed at revitalizing the artistic climate in Greece—and advanced toward figurative, plastic solutions with primarily anthropocentric themes. Figures from mythology and history took center stage in compositions that interwoven geometric motifs and elements from the vocabulary of abstraction. Supported by a Ford Foundation fellowship, he relocated to New York (1973–1975), traveling and exhibiting concurrently in cities such as Washington, Boston, Florida, and Montreal. By this stage, his painting shifted further toward figuration, incorporating surreal or fantastical elements combined with real-world imagery and references to technology.
He held numerous solo exhibitions (e.g., in Athens, Thessaloniki, Chania, Berlin, London, Brussels, and Ghent) and participated in many group exhibitions (e.g., the Panhellenic Art Exhibitions of 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1967, and 1987; the Paris Biennale for Young Artists in 1963; the Alexandria Biennale in 1965; the São Paulo Bienniale in 1967; the Venice Biennale in 1984; Europalia in 1982; and the Salon d’Automne in 1958). In 2007, a retrospective exhibition of his work was organized at the Historical Archive – Museum of Hydra, an island that had been his favorite annual summer destination since 1950 and held a significant place in his oeuvre; this exhibition coincided with the establishment of the “Christos Karas Foundation, Hydra”.
“He was a co-founder of the “Artists’ Association” (Syndesmos Kallitechnon) in 1976. In 2001, he was honored with the Academy of Athens Award for his lifetime achievement and contribution to the arts.
His works are housed in public collections—such as the National Gallery of Greece, MOMus–Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania, the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, and the European Parliament—as well as in private collections in Greece and internationally.