George Petrides
Born in Athens in 1964 and based in Athens and New York, George Petrides is a contemporary sculptor known for public works and traveling exhibitions. His practice explores the intersection of personal narrative, cultural heritage, and digital fabrication.
Drawing on his Greek-American heritage, Petrides combines traditional sculptural methods with twenty-first-century technologies. His process begins in clay and moves through 3D scanning, digital sculpting, and custom fabrication in recycled and upcycled materials; the work is then reworked and finished by hand. Other works are cast in bronze.
Petrides’s practice is informed by studies in Classics at Harvard College (B.A., 1985) and graduate study at Stanford University (M.B.A. and M.A., 1993).
He studied and practiced art part-time beginning in 1996 while pursuing a career in international finance, including senior roles at Lazard Frères and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He first enrolled at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture in 2001 and continued his studies there over the following two decades, receiving a Certificate in Sculpture in 2022. In 2017, he committed to a full-time art practice.
Public sculpture and exhibitions
The Associated Press, 20 April 2024, covering the 2024 Venice Biennale, noted that Petrides had re-made an earlier series in recycled plastic using digital sculpting and 3D printing, reworking the details by hand so the works could stand outdoors.
The studio’s September 2026 record comprises forty public sculptures installed or being installed across eight countries. His sculptures are installed in corporate, educational, governmental, healthcare, museum, religious, and residential settings. Works range from large-scale outdoor sculpture to indoor commissions.
Hellenic Heads: Legacy and Renewal opened at the Embassy of Greece in Washington, DC, in 2022 and has since been shown in eight cities across Europe and the United States, reaching more than 100,000 visitors according to the studio’s exhibition record. The tour concluded with its eighth and final stop, at the Embassy of Greece in Berlin, which opened on 9 September 2026.
Selected professional record
Public commissions and gifts
| Date | Work | Institution and location |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Davy Crockett at the Alamo | The White House, Washington, DC — Presidential Gift; studio record. This does not denote accession to the permanent collection. |
| 2025 | Constantine and the Vision of the Cross | Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons, Southampton, New York |
| 2024 | Aretaieia | Aretaieion University Hospital, Athens |
| 2022–2023 | Head of Thalia II | Tiffany & Co., The Landmark, New York — commissioned for the 2023 reopening |
| 2022 | Refugee-Woman of Smyrna | Saint George Square, Neo Psychiko, Athens |
Selected entries from the artist’s project documentation. The public-work record also includes the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and other institutional associations, with completed works distinguished from projects in progress.
Selected exhibitions
Hellenic Heads: Legacy and Renewal — Embassy of Greece, Washington, DC (2022); San Giorgio dei Greci, Venice, presented in parallel with Biennale Arte (2024). Full tour itinerary.
Education and training
- 2022
- Certificate in Sculpture, New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
- 1993
- M.B.A. and M.A., Stanford University
- 1985
- B.A., Classics, Harvard College
Selected press
Associated Press, April 20, 2024. “Venice Biennale titled ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ platforms LGBTQ+, outsider and Indigenous artists.” Coverage includes Petrides’s Hellenic Heads installation and fabrication process.