Born in Herakleion, Crete in 1947, she read German literature at the University of Thessaloniki (1967-1972) and went on to study painting and sculpture at the ASFA under D. Mytaras, D. Kokkinidis and E. Dekoulakos (1980-1985) and printmaking under Th. Exarchopoulos (1986-1994). From 1986 to 1994 she worked on a doctoral thesis on art teaching at the ASFA on a Greek state scholarship. In 1998 she was appointed lecturer in art teaching at the ASFA, rising through the hierarchy. She is professor emeritus of the ASFA.
She experimented with painting, printmaking and constructions. Her early paintings reveal a romantic mood with symbolic connotations. Her personal journey is often expressed through memories and fantastic images in both sculptural and painterly renderings. Her constructions, mainly of wood and clay, present human figures in frames or set in compositions with tree trunks. The plasticity of the materials she employs allow her to transform them. In her latest series, Cartographies: Conversing with Friedrich (Ekfrassi Gallery – Gianna Grammatopoulou, 2015), she engages in dialogue with the art of Caspar David Friedrich. Her paintings, with an atmosphere reminiscent of old prints, feature landscapes in Byzantine-style panoramic views.
She was also involved with teaching art in schools, art workshops and private schools of applied arts. She has participated in research projects and workshops and has presented her academic work in conferences, and has conducted training seminars for art teachers in secondary, primary and nursery education. Author of the books Creative imagination and children's art (Athens 1996) and Art Teaching and Education Systems (Athens 2008), and editor of collective tomes on art in education.
She has had solo exhibitions in Athens and Herakleion, Crete and has taken part in dozens of group shows in Greece and abroad. Her works can be found in museums and private collections in Greece.