The painter, engraver, illustrator, set designer, and author Marios Prassinos was born in 1916 in Constantinople and passed away in 1985 in Eygalières, France, where he had been living since 1951.
In 1922, his family settled initially in Nanterre and later in Paris. In 1932, he enrolled at the École des Langues Orientales and began his first painting lessons at the studio of Clement Serveau. In 1934, he enrolled at the Faculté des Lettres. At the “Pierre Loeb” Gallery and the Café de la Place Blanche, he met J. Mirò, V. Brauner, and A. Giacometti. From 1942 to 1950, he collaborated with N.R.F. (Gallimard) publishers, illustrating texts and poems by Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Arthur Rimbaud. At the same time, he designed sets and costumes for theatrical performances and created tapestries.
He was influenced by surrealism as well as all the avant-garde movements in both art and literature, thanks to the library of his father, a man of exceptional education. Contacts with poets and artists whom he admired played a major role in his life and work.
He held numerous solo exhibitions both within and outside France (Brussels, Zurich, Germany, Madrid, Athens, the USA, etc.).
In 1961, he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres) and in 1966, a Knight of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur).
His works can be found in museums and collections across Europe (Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Kunsthalle Bremen, Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery-Alexandros Soutzos Museum) and in the USA (Metropolitan Museum of New York, Art Institute of Chicago).