– In 1989, Dimitris Papastamos, in collaboration with Olga Mentzafou and Aliki Vakirtzi organized a great retrospective at the National Gallery, where George Vakirtzis’ Giant cinema posters were displayed (now in the possession of the National Gallery as donations or purchases) (C.1).
– After this retrospective, the National Gallery organized a series of exhibitions in Patras, Larissa, Salonica, and Varia, Mytilene, featuring 38 works by G.V., representative of all his artistic periods. Among them (Nos. 1-5) were fragments of the Giant posters he made for the films The RObe, The DIARy OF ANNe FRANk, The LeOPARD, ARChIMÈDE Le CLOChARD as well as from an unidentified war film. In an essay included in the exhibition catalogue (C.2), Manos Stefanidis noted:
…In the mid-seventies, his painting turns to elegiac compositions of epic dimensions, in which one witnesses parading, in a cartoon-like manner, heroes, martyrs, prosecutors and victims, traitors, rapists and murders. In these works the painter uses a big brush masterfully on surfaces that vibrate from the sensuality of color and their dramatic intensity. Ηere, Vakirtzis takes full advantage of his training in film. ever anthropocentric, he can capture the movement of big crowds, make them throng and suffocate in a space of theatrical design, replete with symbols, inescapable…
– In 1993, Julia Dimakopoulou presented an exhibition entitled “Painting in the streets. The Giant cinema posters of George Vakirtzis”, including 23 of his works, at the Nees Morfes gallery (C.3).
– Finally, the torch was passed on to the Hellaffi Group, which organized a series of Exhibitions and Presentations of the Giant cinema posters of the hellaffi Collection. This Collection contains, among other things, dozens of Giant posters and impressive Models, typical samples of Lithographic posters and Models, and other artistic creations for cinema theatres, all by George Vakirtzis.

N. 16a

                                     THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

The HELLAFFI Collection comprises the main volume of the nowadays existing original painted Giant cinema posters, that were made by well known artists in order to decorate the façades of the cinema of Greece in the years between 1950 and 1975. The main part of the above posters are due to the painter George Vakirtzis.
The hellaffi Group organised the following exhibitions in Greece and abroad:
– ATHENS, 18/4-1/5/1994, Melina Merkouri Cultural Center of the Municipality of Athens, on the occasion of the 100 years of Cinema.
– GLYFADA, Attica, 15/6-0/8/1994, Pierides Museum of Contemporary Arts. exhibition titled: Painting in Cinema.
– THESSALONIKI, 12/11-18/12/1994 in the framework of the 35th International Film Festival.
– NICOSIA, 23/1-5/3/1995, Municipal Center of Modern Arts.
– PARIS: a. 17/3-8/10/1995,Centre Georges Pompidou (beaubourg) and b. 17/3-6/5/1995, Renos Xippas Gallery, both under the title Peinture et Cinéma
– VENICE, 28/8-21/9/1995, biennale ’95 andMostra di Venezia ’95. exhibition titled: Cinema Dipinto in the medieval church of Sant’Apollonia, within the framework of the centenary of the biennale of Arts and the 52nd International Film Festival (see p. 254, poster P.1).
– RETHYMNO, Crete, 4/11-12/12/1995, Center of Contemporary Art.
– KOROPI, Attica, 27/4-19/5/1996, Town hall.
– VOLOS, Thessaly, 25/5-4/7/1996, historical Cinema Achilleion and Giorgio de Chirico Center of Modern Art.
– LONDON: a. 29/7-8/9/1996, Royal National Theatre (Lyttelton Foyer) and b. 4/9-30/9/1996 Foundation for hellenic Culture. exhibition titled: Gala Parade.
– ATHENS, 23/10-18/11/1996, National Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum.
– PIRAEUS, Attica, 14/11-15/12/1996, electric Railway Central Station. In the Piraeus station a great number of original Giant posters were on display, while in the intermediate stations of the Piraeus-kifissia line, reproductions of the above posters have been displayed. Title: Crossing the Time by Train-Painting in the Cinema.
– MUNICH, 23/6-24/7/1999, Forum der Technik-Deutsches Museum. Title: Malerei im kino. Die Sammlung heLLAFFI in München.
– FRANKFURT a.M., 30/9-4/11/2001, Deutsches Filmmuseum Title: Malerei und Graphik im kino. exhibition in the framework of the Frankfurt International book Fair 2001 (see p. 254).