Georgios Jakobides Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Georgios Jakobides
Georgios Jakobides
Born	(1853-01-11)11 January 1853 Chidira, Lesbos, Ottoman Empire
Died	13 December 1932(1932-12-13) (aged 79) Athens, Greece
Nationality	Greek
Known for	Painting and sculpture
Notable work	The Children's Recital (Παιδική Συναυλία) (1894) Spring (Η Άνοιξις) (1927) The First Steps (Τα Πρώτα Βήματα) The Wife and Son of the Artist (Η Σύζυγος και ο γιος του ζωγράφου) (1898)
Movement	Naturalism

Georgios Jakobides (Γεώργιος Ιακωβίδης; born January 11, 1853 – died December 13, 1932) was a famous Greek painter. He was also a medallist, meaning he designed medals and coins. He was a key artist in the Munich School, a group of Greek artists who studied in Munich, Germany. Jakobides also started and was the first director of the National Gallery of Greece in Athens.

The Life of Georgios Jakobides
- Years in Munich
- Return to Greece
Jakobides' Legacy
Gallery
See also

The Life of Georgios Jakobides

Jakobides in his studio, photographed by Carl Teufel, 1883

Georgios Jakobides was born in a place called Chidira on the island of Lesbos. When he was 13, he moved to Smyrna to live with his uncle and go to school.

From 1870 to 1876, Jakobides studied art at the Athens School of Fine Arts. He learned about sculpture and painting from a teacher named Nikiphoros Lytras. In 1877, he received a scholarship to continue his painting studies in Munich, Germany. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts there.

Years in Munich

Jakobides lived in Munich for 17 years. He had his own art studio where he painted many different kinds of pictures. He painted scenes from old myths, everyday life scenes (called genre art), and portraits of people. His art style was influenced by German academic Realism, which means he painted things very realistically.

He became very well-known for his paintings of children. He was also a talented portrait painter. In Munich, he was seen as a successful German artist and sold many of his artworks for good prices.

Return to Greece

In 1900, the Greek government asked Jakobides to come back to Athens. They wanted him to help organize the National Gallery of Athens. In 1904, he became the Director of the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he taught for 25 years.

During this time, he painted official portraits of important Greek people, like Queen Sophia. Jakobides did not like new art styles like Impressionism or Expressionism. However, he still supported younger artists to find their own unique ways of painting. He won awards at five international art shows, including ones in Berlin (1891) and Paris (1900).

You can find Jakobides' paintings in the National Gallery of Athens. His works are also in private collections and museums around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago. He created about 200 oil paintings.

His son, Michalis Iakovides, was an actor. In 1951, he gave his father's personal journal to the National Gallery of Greece. This journal lists all the paintings Jakobides made between 1878 and 1919. Georgios Jakobides passed away in Athens in 1932.

Jakobides' Legacy

Besides his paintings, Georgios Jakobides also designed modern Greek coins. He created the designs for the 1 and 2 drachma coins in 1910 and 1911. He also designed the 50 lepta coin in 1921 and the 10 lepta coin in 1922.