Kalymnos Michael Kokkinos

Michael Kokkinos was born in Kalymnos in 1900 and was the son of a wealthy sponge seller. In 1912, he moved with his family to Belgium, but they returned two years later. His high school teacher, Ioannis Zervos, was the first to notice his talent, and in 1919, Michael Kokkinos left the island to study in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. There, he was deeply influenced by such artists as Auguste Rodin and Antoine Bourdelle, evolving his own personal style which fuses the ancient Greek and Byzantine legacy with the folklore of 20th-century Kalymnos.

His work, inspired by Greek mythology and the lifestyle of the residents of Kalymnos, was awarded and displayed in international exhibitions. Michael Kokkinos donated many of his works to his homeland, and visitors can see some of his sculptures adorning the port of Pothia, along with the sculptures of his daughter, Irene. At one edge of the pier, for example, there is a remarkable statue of Poseidon resting on a rock in a pose that combines divine majesty and benignity towards seafarers. One of his most significant works is the monumental statue of the Winged Victory, which seems poised between the sky and the sea. Another two worth-mentioning works are the torch-bearing Laureled Adolescent, which has been placed outside one of the high schools of Kalymnos and seems to be pointing to the future, and the Sponge Diver, which shows a man ready to dive into the Kalymnian Sea.

The great artist died in 1990.