Paul Anagnostopoulos’s colorful and intricate paintings explore mythological desire and melancholy through contemporary queer narratives. Acting as postcards from a theoretical timeless journey, these cloudy memories in oil and acrylic evoke a longing for nostalgia and, like Sappho’s adjective γλυκύπικρον (glukupikron), a “sweet-bitter” feeling. The artist’s vibrant and at times gaudy colors both seduce the viewer and allude to kitsch and camp, conjuring moments of both humor and melodrama. Celebrating queer intimacy and storytelling through scenes from ancient art, gay erotica, and life drawing, Anagnostopoulos reimagines historical, hyper-masculine images as sensitive and emotional. Ultimately, he uses mythic stories as a vehicle for expression encourages viewers to meditate on queer history and focus on a neglected perspective.

Paul Anagnostopoulos was born in 1991 in Merrick, NY, and lives in New York City, NY. He graduated with an MFA in Studio Art from CUNY Hunter College in New York City, NY (2023) and earned his BFA in Studio Art and Art History from New York University in New York City, NY (2013).

Anagnostopoulos has mounted solo exhibitions at Dinner Gallery in New York City, NY (2022); the Leslie-Lohman Project Space in New York City, NY (2020), and the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA (2018).

He has participated in group shows such as Reminisce at Hollis Taggart in New York City, NY (2023); Who's To Say I Am Awake; Are You? at Geary Contemporary in Millerton, NY (2023); Expanded Field at OCHI Aux in Los Angeles, CA (2021); Ode to Green at Ortega y Gasset Projects in Brooklyn, NY (2021); New Ideal at Rule Gallery in Denver, CO (2021); and others.

Anagnostopoulos has participated in multiple residencies, including the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT; the Wassaic Project in Wassaic, NY; and the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists in Reykjavík, Iceland, among others.

His work has been featured in publications like Hyperallergic, New American Paintings, Artnet News, and VICE.