Jannis Kounellis
Greek · b. 1936
Sculpture, installation, painting
DESCRIPTION
Jannis Kounellis was born in Piraeus, Greece, in 1936 and moved to Rome in 1956 to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti. He emerged as a central figure in the Italian Arte Povera movement during the late 1960s, expanding painting into sculptural environments and installations. His work is known for juxtaposing raw, found, and organic materials such as coal, burlap sacks, iron, stone, fire, and live animals. Kounellis died in Rome in 2017.