Karymbaka Argyro (1929)

She was born in Patras in 1929. She studied sculpture under Michael Tompros at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1953-1957). At the same time, she familiarized herself with the art of pottery at the studio of Giannis Delavinias in Maroussi, and with architectural design at the studio of Pavlos Patrinos.
In her first solo exhibition at Zygos Gallery in Athens (1963) she presented works of painting. However, a large part of her oeuvre is sculptural. Her initial sculptural material was stone, mainly from the island of Aegina, where she worked for several years. Soon her art included many other materials and techniques (clay, cement, plaster, marble, wood, metal sheets, patinas), expressively exploiting the plastic properties of each material.
Her work is mainly anthropocentric. She approaches the human form with simplicity, minimizing the descriptive details. The abstraction and schematization of the body is often reminiscent of archaic art forms, with folk traditional elements. Her themes allude to a familiar routine, perceived in a poetic vein.
In her painting she uses mostly Indian ink, crayons and oil pastels on paper. The chromatic sensitivity, the lyrical element and the dreamlike atmosphere are the main characteristics of her compositions. She has also engaged in micro sculpture, ceramics and drawing. She illustrated Yannis Negrepontis books, with whom she collaborated in the presentation of his “Feminist” songs at Nees Morfes Art Gallery in 1981. She also designed folk art embroidery patterns, which were published in a book. She has also worked for ‘Finos Film’ movies.
She presented her work in numerous solo exhibitions (painting, sculpture and mixed media) and in group exhibitions in Greece and abroad (Pan-Hellenics: 1957, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1967, Young Artists Biennale in Paris, 1961). Her works can be found in private collections, at the Vorres Museum, the National Gallery–Alexandros Soutzos Museum, et al.