Theodoros Stamos

Burning Bush from Jerusalem Series

1989

The Greek American artist, Theodoros Stamos, was born in 1922 in New York City into a family of Greek immigrants. He was a member of The Irascibles group which consisted of the first generation of the New York School and Abstract Expressionism. Members included Jimmy Ernst, Barnett Newman, James Brooks, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still, Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, and others. Betty Parsons hosted a solo exhibition of Stamos work in 1943 when he was only 21 years old. In the years following, Parsons served as a vital mentor helping Stamos establish his position in the contemporary art world. Stamos early works from the 1940’s incorporated organic motifs and earthy coloring. As a member of The Irascibles, Stamos was influenced by his fellow members and his technique began to shift towards a more expressionist style. His works became increasingly simplified in the subsequent years, tending towards greater abstraction. Areas of flat color contrast one another to create a sense of depth in his works. Stamos taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, the Art Students League in New York, and the Cummington School of Fine Arts in Massachusetts. His art is owned by many major collections including The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago Illinois. He passed away in 1997 in Greece.