The painter and engraver Asadour Baharian, of Armenian descent, was born in 1924 in Athens, where he also passed away in 1990.
He initially apprenticed under the painter O. Pervolarakis, who introduced him to painting and lithography. He then studied at the Athens Supreme School of Fine Arts under D. Biskinis and O. Argyros (1940–1944). Concurrently, as a member of the National Resistance, he painted walls in Athens, while many of his anonymous drawings circulated illegally and were published in later editions dedicated to the resistance. He was a political prisoner in various Greek prisons during the period 1945–1960, during which he painted prison scenes, designed stage sets for productions, and edited improvised publications created by the prisoners. After his release, he taught graphic arts at the Vakalo School (1961–1967). In 1961–1962, he organized a marionette troupe. He founded the Letters and Arts centers “Ora” (1969) and “Apopsi” (1993). He published the annual volume of the art review ‘Chroniko’ (1970–1988), which documented artistic activity, as well as the first Dictionary of Greek Artists and other books.
An artist with intense political and social engagement, he proposed an anthropocentric style of painting in the first phase of his creation, centered around the prisoner—a subject that echoed his personal experiences. Later, using oil and watercolor as his primary mediums, he elliptically depicted scenes from nature and everyday human life.
He held over 30 solo exhibitions in Athens (e.g., “Zygos” 1961 and 1963, “Hilton” 1968, “Ora” 1969 and 1974), Thessaloniki (“Techni” Macedonian Fine Arts Society 1972), Syros (Municipal Cultural Center 1975), Volos, Ioannina, Chania, Heraklion, Corinth, Veria, Nicosia, California (Cezanne Gallery 1976), among others. He participated in group exhibitions in Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Heraklion, Amsterdam, London (International Youth Exhibition 1959), Paris (Grands et Jeunes d’Aujourd’hui, Grand Palais 1974, 1975, 1976), Nicosia, Dublin, and elsewhere.
His works are held in the National Gallery, the Benaki Museum, the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation (MIET), the Municipal Art Galleries of Thessaloniki and Rhodes, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, and other institutions.