Chapter 01 · 510–323 BC
Thalia
Classical Greece
Foundation of Western CivilizationThe six heads
Choose a portrait to meet its model, explore its historical setting, and see how the sculpture was made.
Chapter 02 · 330–1453
Archon
Byzantine Empire
Establishing Christianity
Chapter 03 · 1820s
Heroines
Greek War of Independence
Female Leadership
Chapter 04 · 1920s
The Refugee
Asia Minor Catastrophe
To Lose and to Rebuild
Chapter 05 · 1940s
Man of Two Wars
Nazi Occupation and Greek Civil War
Battles Within and Without
Chapter 06 · 1950–present
Kore
Modern Greece
Our Hopes for Our ChildrenHistory, carried in faces
George Petrides connects six periods of Greek history with people closest to him: his mother, father, wife, grandmother, himself, and his daughter. Each head brings a historical era into the present through a familiar face.
The works begin in clay. Digital sculpting and 3D printing allow the forms to grow; the artist then returns to the surface by hand, applying metals and patinas. The marks, fractures, and textures are part of each portrait’s story.
The making of the Hellenic Heads
The documentary follows the exhibition’s development, from research and clay modeling to finished portraits.
Films retain their original audio. Where YouTube supplies captions, use the CC control. The text on this page introduces the sculpture and its historical setting.
The filmsEight cities · 2022–2026
From Washington to Berlin, the exhibition has brought family stories and Greek history to audiences in eight cities.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
Paris
Embassy of Greece
2026 · Past exhibition
- 08
Berlin
Embassy of Greece
2026 · Berlin · eighth and final city
Eight stops over five years. The tour’s eighth and final venue, the Embassy of Greece in Berlin, opened on 9 September 2026.
Berlin · eighth and final city
Exhibition dates
9 September 2026 – 8 January 2027
Embassy of Greece, Hiroshimastraße 11–15, 10785 Berlin. Visits are by prior appointment. Contact the studio to confirm access and arrange your visit.
The exhibition catalog
Explore the ideas behind the six heads: family memory, sculptural traditions, and the passage from clay to digital form. The complete illustrated publication and its essays are available in English.
The original PDF is an archival edition. Current tour information and the updated public-work record appear on this website and at petrides.art.
George Petrides
The Hellenic Heads Welcome You
An introduction to the six historical periods, the family members who posed, and the questions that brought the exhibition into being.
Full text in EnglishT.N. Metropoulos · AI pen name
The Argument for the Human
A reading of the heads in relation to the long history of portrait sculpture, from ancient Egypt and Greece to modern and contemporary artists.
Full text in EnglishGeorge Petrides
From Clay to Code to Bronze
The artist describes the research, clay modeling, digital sculpting, fabrication, and hand finishing behind the works.
Full text in EnglishA.I. Kolpofilos · AI pen name
The Aegean and the Gulf
A comparative essay on memory, materials, public space, and hospitality in two maritime regions.
Full text in EnglishGeorge Petrides
Legacy and Renewal: Healing
A reflection on inherited trauma and the hope of making room for the next generation.
Full text in English
The current selection of public works, with locations, materials, and project status, is at petrides.art.
Explore public sculptureVenice · 2024
The six heads at San Giorgio dei Greci, presented alongside the 2024 Venice Biennale by the Embassy of Greece and the Hellenic Institute.
Selected press
Interviews, reviews, and reporting, in their original publication languages.
- Aretaieion Hospital Welcomes a Public Sculpture by George Petrides
THE NATIONAL HERALD · 12.04.24
- George Petrides' Hellenic Heads in Venice: Portraying Family and Greek History
ART & OBJECT · 09.09.24
- Wall Street Banker to Artist: George Petrides Channels Millennia of Greek History in 'Hellenic Heads' Venice Exhibit
ATHENS INSIDER · 07.06.24
- Η Ελληνική ιστορία ταξιδεύει στον κόσμο μέσα από τις «Ελληνικές Κεφαλές» του Γιώργου Πετρίδη
ERT NEWS · 05.13.24
- Ο γλύπτης Γιώργος Πετρίδης μιλάει για τις «Ελληνικές Κεφαλές» στη Βενετία
ELCULTURE · 04.26.24
- In Venice, Sculptor George Petrides Gives Greek History the Larger-Than-Life Treatment
CULTURED MAG · 04.19.24
- Arte, in viaggio con le 'Teste Elleniche' dello scultore George Petrides
LAPRESSE · 04.19.24
- Το κατανυκτικό «Μουσείο των Εικόνων» στο Campo dei Greci της Βενετίας
ERT NEWS · 04.05.24
- La mostra "Teste Elleniche: George Petrides" arriva ad Aprile a Venezia
THE POST INTERNAZIONALE · 02.27.24
- Venice: The Embassy of Greece and the Hellenic Institute Present George Petrides' Hellenic Heads
HELLENIC INSTITUTE · 02.26.24
- Arte, le Teste Elleniche di George Petrides ad aprile a Venezia
LAPRESSE · 02.26.24
- Οι «Ελληνικές Κεφαλές» συνεχίζουν το ταξίδι τους — Επόμενος σταθμός: Βενετία
ERT NEWS · 02.23.24
- Sculptor George Petrides' 'Hellenic Heads' to open in Venice this April
KATHIMERINI · 02.22.24
- Ο διεθνής γλύπτης Γιώργος Πετρίδης στην Ειρήνη Νικολοπούλου
MADE IN GREECE NEWS · 09.30.23
- Hellenic Heads
JOHNSON ATELIER · 08.29.23
- George Petrides' Personal Engagement With Hellenic History
WHITEHOT MAGAZINE · 07.03.23
- Sculptor George Petrides sat down with Executive Director Tina Courpas
THE HELLENIC INITIATIVE · 11.21.22
- Η οδύνη ενός ηρωικού πολέμου
ΤΟ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΙΚΟ · 10.30.22
- Γιώργος Πετρίδης: "Θέλω να δείξω την ομορφιά της ατέλειας"
SAY YES TO THE PRESS · 10.25.22
- The Greek American who Left Wall Street to Become a Globally Recognized Sculptor
ETHNOS · 10.13.22
- «Πρόσφυγας – η Γυναίκα της Σμύρνης» κοσμεί το Ψυχικό
60 PLUS · 10.11.22
- George Petrides: Celebrating the Imperfections
CERAMICS MONTHLY · 10.03.22
- Με το βλέμμα στην τέχνη το υπουργείο Υγείας
HEALTH REPORT + · 09.16.22
- Έργο με τίτλο "Προσφύγας – η Γυναίκα της Σμύρνης" στο Νέο Ψυχικό
ARTVIEWS · 09.13.22
- «Προσφύγας – η Γυναίκα της Σμύρνης»: Αποκαλυπτήρια του έργου
EIRINIKA · 09.10.22
- Γιώργος Πετρίδης: Ο καταξιωμένος γλύπτης Ελληνικής καταγωγής — Συνέντευξη
DESIGN MAGAZINE · 09.01.22
- Renowned Sculptor George Petrides Featured in Forbes
NATIONAL HERALD · 07.21.22
- George Petrides' 'Hellenic Heads' Bring Greek History to Southampton
DAN'S PAPERS · 07.19.22
- Sculptor George Petrides Carves A Matriarchal Gaze Into Greek History And Heritage
FORBES · 07.13.22
- Hellenic Heads In Southampton
27EAST · 07.07.22
- Hellenic Heads Sculpture Exhibition at The Muses Southampton
HAMPTONS.COM · 06.05.22
- Sculptor George Petrides: Inspired by past, present, and future
HELLENIC NEWS OF AMERICA · 06.03.22
- George Petrides: Hellenic Heads
THE BROOKLYN RAIL · 06.01.22
- "There is beauty not in spite of but because of imperfections"
GREEK NEWS AGENDA · 04.29.22
- Contemporary Artifacts
THE ARCADE PROJECT · 02.01.22
- The Muse of Classic Greek Sculpture
CULTURE CATCH · 01.20.22
- Εικαστική συνάντηση στο Ελληνικό Προξενείο της Νέας Υόρκης
NATIONAL HERALD · 01.09.22
- Νέα Υόρκη: Εικαστική «συνάντηση» του Γιώργου Πετρίδη και του Νάσου Δάφνη
ART22 · 01.08.22
- Figure and Form: The Making of an Exhibition
WHITEHOT MAGAZINE · 01.03.22
- Διερευνώ την εσωτερικότητα του ανθρώπινου σώματος
ARTVIEWS · 09.25.21
- Ο διεθνής γλύπτης Γιώργος Πετρίδης στην Ειρήνη Νικολοπούλου
EIRINIKA · 09.23.21
- Γιώργος Πετρίδης: Αναζητώ ενστικτωδώς τις ρίζες μου
ART 22 GREECE · 08.17.21
- George Petrides: Creative Paths to Philanthropy in Athens and New York
THE HELLENIC INITIATIVE · 11.03.20
- George Petrides
IDEAMENSCH · 06.27.19
The artist
George Petrides
Born in Athens in 1964, George Petrides works between Athens and New York. His sculpture connects personal memory with history, using both traditional modeling and contemporary fabrication.
His permanent public sculpture program includes 40 works, installed or in progress: 15 outdoor and 25 indoor, across seven sectors and eight countries.
He studied Classics at Harvard College (B.A., 1985) and earned an M.B.A. and M.A. at Stanford University (1993). After more than 20 years of part-time art study alongside a career in finance, he turned to sculpture full-time in 2017. He received a Certificate in Sculpture from the New York Studio School in 2022, with further study at the Art Students League of New York and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.
His next touring exhibition, Sulalat al-Mustaqbal, is planned for 2027–2030.
Explore public sculptureGet in touch
For exhibition partnerships, loans, collecting, press, or a visit, write to the studio.
Email the studio studio@petrides.art