Born in 1913 in Aivali, Asia Minor, he fled to Mytilene in 1922 after the Asia Minor Disaster and thence to Thessaloniki, one year later. His prowess in drawing was evident from a young age, and by 1929 he was contributing illustrations, caricatures and drawings to newspapers and magazines (Fos, Macedonia, Diaplassi ton Pedon, etc.). In 1939 he moved to Athens and was initiated to printmaking, especially lithography and chromolithography, at the graphic design facility of ASPIOTI-ELKA. He also apprenticed himself to Fotis Kontoglou for two years. In 1942 he was hired by the Bank of Greece and specialised in the engraving of banknotes, working closely with printmaker Alexandros Koroyannakis.
His work with the bank gave him a solid technical training and a persistent attention to detail. This was evident in his early prints and paintings, which were dominated by a rigorous realistic rendering of the subjects. His move away from strict representation came gradually, leading him to a peculiar expressionistic style that highlighted the expressiveness of the figures, while some abstract elements also emerged later. His mature works show the occasional tendency towards symbolism, sometimes with metaphysical implications.
His first solo exhibition at Eoliki Stegi in 1982 was an experiential tribute to the Asia Minor Disaster. Overall, his art was heavily influenced by personal experience, mainly from the savage uprooting of 1922 and his wanderings in Mytilene and Thessaloniki before ending up in Paleo Faliro. His other series include the portraits of Greek poets he presented in 1993 and the copperplates of the same period with which he illustrated the poems in Baudelaire’s Fleurs du Mal (Yakinthos Gallery, 1993).
Since 1983 he taught printmaking at the Popular Education Committee of Paleo Faliro. In addition to his artistic activities he was an active chess player, having been Greece’s champion in 1949 and participating in three Chess Olympics.
His work was presented in several solo shows, and he participated in group exhibitions in Greece and abroad.