Themis Papatheodorou was born in Athens in 1945, in a bourgeois wealthy family, which was unable to produce the way to encourage him into the esthetical or the research of "BEAUTY".
Following his natural inclination towards the pleasure of miniaturized construction, he represents in modelling paste, at the age of 7 or 8, the geographic map of Greece , with its mountains, prominences, valleys, mountains, water sources and islands. It should be exposed at his school during years and would be of use and example to other geography pupils. He constructed many more representations in modelling paste, subjects of the ancient Greece , such as Triremes, etc. His mother would proudly show them to her family and friends; but his parents did not encourage him to continue in this domain. His innate talents for artistic work, the academy of beauty arts. . . That's OK but it is not serious! a proper profession is what he needs!. Art should be relegated to a Hobby!!

At the age of 17 he travels to Belgium where he studies civil engineering at Lieges University , but after his 3rd year, he gives up the classes, and wonders about his future and his artistic possibilities, which are still vague, imprecise, but always present.

In this moment of his life he meets a young lady, married and mother of two little children.
She also sees no perspective in her bourgeois life of obligations in a little village of a Belgian province. She doesn't any longer love her husband, who disappointed her and who thinks to keep her into a golden box. That was during the seventies; everyone is looking for new waves, moves, old conceptions, empty of any existential sense are rejected.
She drags him into her project, which looks absurd and impossible to achieve, she has been thinking on it for two years. He trusts: the reconstruction of a little house in Provence, abandoned in a spot since 40 years, derelict, in ruins, with no water or electricity.
The love passion, the perspective of an original life and the enthusiasm, take them to leave everything behind and go.

Hard times to come, but he discovered the ways to love stones, the art of good reconstruction, and the pleasure of restoring ancient furniture.

Later in Greece , he takes over the enlargement of his grandma's little cottage, situated in a suburb north from Athens , there they would make a little peace haven in the middle of a flowering garden full of trees, surrounded by 5 storey buildings.

In this place he did painting, he discovered the masters of the XVII and XVIII centuries. He learnt by restoring ancient masters (the ones they can afford). He became widely known by the antiquarians in Athens . He did perfect copies of the ancient masters that inspired him to create some of his original paintings.

In the Eighties he discovered the pleasure of creating silver and bronze jewellery; he composed fantasy jewellery for the prêt à porter collections of young Modists of Athens.

During their journeys all over through Greece , they discovered the islands and the regions. They fell in love with the Peloponnesian, from where his parents are originally from. There they find a place with a panorama that can take your breath away, it faces the gulf of Argolide . He wants to build his house there, himself. He made the plans, scale model, and then the big work, he did think about everything, made everything, finished everything. It took 10 years. And during this period he discovered a material which attracted his attention, captivated him to use it for sculptures. He worked with it in panels, nature, polychrome, covered with gold leaves, statues, decorated columns that can be placed in the interior, in a patio, garden or a park.

He painted also large decorative panels which ornamented private residences and others.

He can nowadays, with all the acquired experience, make possible any decoration plan, vision or dream.

They live in France at present.
After all this years, their union is stronger, and it is probably due to their love for art.

Text: Nicole Winands