Pavlina Pavlides
Born
Pavlina Pavlides was a Greek Cypriot sculptor, born in 1920, and passed away in 1992.
Early Life
She was the daughter of Sir Pavlos Pavlides, who was knighted in 1955 during British colonial rule in Cyprus. Her early life was shaped by the turbulent history of the region, including colonial rule, the struggle for independence in 1960, and the political upheavals that followed. After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the preceding Greek military regime (1967–1974), she left both Cyprus and Greece permanently.
Career
Pavlides settled in Paris, where she established herself as a sculptor. Her work gained international recognition, including a solo exhibition in 1987 at the Lise Cormery Gallery in Paris, accompanied by a published catalogue held at the Pompidou Centre Library, with a text by Frédérick Tristan.
She exhibited monumental sculptures such as The Hand of God, Enigma, and Motherhood, including presentations at the Paris Art Olympiads in 1991 and 1992, where she represented Greece. These events were held under the patronage of French President François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris.
In 1988, she was awarded the Logo Prize of Les Échos, with her bronze sculptures presented to leading French corporations. Her work and legacy have been recognized in publications such as Post-War École de Paris (2020), and she has been identified as a pioneering female figure in post-war art in Greece and Cyprus.
Materials
She worked primarily in bronze and marble, often presenting sculptures on marble pedestals.
Style & Subject
Her sculpture was deeply influenced by the spirit of Cycladic art, reflecting ancestral traditions and evoking themes tied to her heritage, identity, and displacement. Her work often conveyed memories of the Aegean Sea and her homeland, expressing a sense of loss and continuity through abstract and symbolic forms.
Pavlina Pavlides art for sale from The Sculpture Park is detailed below:
-
Bronze £1,580 inc VATTabletop Figurative Bronze Sculpture – Back to Back by Pavlina Pavlides (signed)
Back to Back, Bronze