Greek, born in 1950 in Amphilohia, Aitolokarnaria, Greece.
Angelos Panayiotidis presented his first artworks in his workshop in 1990, after 20 years of research in all the metals that used in his sculpture. He has been shown in 19 personal and 139 group exhibitions. He has artist has been recognized by UNESCO for his contribution to the Olympic Games of 2004 in Athens. He is also a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece.
Presence in the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004
One of his best moments is the creation of the “Olive Tree- Athens’ Tree”, sponsored by Coca Cola, and its exhibition in the Water Plaza in Palaio Faliro during the Olympic Games of 2004. The tree was made of bronze and copper and was 3.30 meters high. It carried 5.000 bronze leaves and during its exhibition, 5.000 visitors signed each of its leaves. The sculpture was offered by Coca Cola to the Municipality of Athens, as a souvenir of the Olympic Games and is now on permanent exhibition at the Technopolis in Athens. All the Paralympic competitors were also honored with a small replica of the “Olive Tree - Athens Tree” sculpture.
Angelos Panayiotidis has participated in significant exhibitions, which were organized in the context of the Olympic Games. Among these are : “The World of Olive” at Theofilos Museum in Lesvos and in Crete, the “Praise of the Olive” at the Athens Academy, as well as the event that was realized in Water Plaza, Faliro in Athens by Coca Cola.
The Olympic athletes Pyrros Dimas and Nikos Kaklamanakis, the former President of the Greek Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis, the current President of the Greek Parliament Anna Psarouda- Benaki and the Women’s Greek National Team of Water Polo have been honored with Angelos Panayiotidis’ sculptures. During the visit of the Greek Prime Minister in the USA in May 2005, a bronze olive tree was offered to the American President George Bush.
Moreover the first Olympic competitors in Marathon - the Italian Stefano Baldini, the American Keflezighi Mebrahtom and the Brazilian Lima Vanderlei - were honored with a golden olive laurel during the 2004 Olympic Games. The same laurel was given to the Slovakian Matanin Marcel, who became a symbol of the Olympic Games’ closure with his entrance in the Panathenaic Stadium in September 2004. The city of Amphilohia also awarded Paraskevi Katza with a golden laurel by Panayiotidis in honor of her copper medal in the 100 meter race her 4th place in the 200 meter race at the Olympic Games in Athens. The relay runners of Amfilohia were also awarded with olive laurels.
Additionally the Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis offered one copper olive tree to the President of the Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge and to many state leaders during the 2004 Olympic Games.
website : http://www.panayiotidis.gr/