Dimitris Constantinou (1924-2010) was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Greek Cypriot parents and belongs to the generation of Cypriot artists who sought to align their work with international developments. His artistic journey began at the Italian Don Bosco Technical School, where he specialized in “arte in ferro battuto,” or the art of fer forgé, which would become the defining characteristic of his sculpture. During World War II, Constantinou worked as a welder for the allied fleet, and upon returning to civilian life, he established his own fer forgé workshop.

In the 1960s, Constantinou began creating sculptural works that showcased his mastery of the material. His early sculptures were influenced by European modernism and artists such as Alberto Giacometti and Julio Gonzalez. However, his true encounter with international modernist art came through the group of “articulated” or “mobile” sculptures that emerged in the 1960s. These works were influenced by artists like Alexander Calder and exhibited a strong connection to Minimalist art.

Constantinou’s “mobiles” consisted of repeated geometric shapes and volumes, exploring the relationships between form, space, and motion. His works were characterized by a sense of movement through optical illusion and the viewer’s interaction with the sculpture. Some of his most notable pieces from this period include Articulation of Space (1964), Expanding Cubes (1965), and various “mobiles” in iron from 1970.

Throughout his career, Constantinou was influenced by Greek tradition and folk art. This is evident in his geometrically-stylized “Korai” sculptures, which were inspired by archaic Greek statues. These works are characterized by the repetitive use of geometric shapes and a sense of anthropomorphism, creating forms that stand as human figures.

In 1970, Constantinou moved to Greece, and the tragic political and military events in Cyprus inspired a new series of works between 1974 and 1978. These sculptures were predominantly made of copper and grew out of a flat, wall-hanging base. They served as a direct, emotionally genuine reaction to the events in his homeland.

From the late 1970s onwards, Constantinou’s sculpture acquired a monumental quality. His later geometric creations emphasize the material’s presence and its occupation of space. This exploration of the sculptural piece’s presence in, and its occupation of space led to pieces like Geometric Fission (1978), Cube Expansion (1982), and Multi-faceted (1999).

In the post-modern era, Constantinou kept modernist sculpture alive through new explorations of the possibilities of the material, the strength of form, and the presence and development of volume in space. His work showcased a strong connection to the material, imbuing the artwork with continuity and permanence.

Throughout his career, Constantinou experimented with new materials and forms. In the 1990s, he began working with marble and Plexiglas, creating works such as Clasp (11995), which combined formalist severity with sensuality and the sensuality of the irregular curvilinear negotiation of shape and volume, devoid of immediate symbolisms.

Dimitris Constantinou’s artistic journey began with his mastery of the fer forgé material, which allowed him to mature and produce an important oeuvre. Despite being created in the “periphery” of the Western art scene, his work has continued to be an important development of modernist sculpture, even as the avant-garde ceased to exist in the “centers” of contemporary art.