Vassilis Gratsias was born in Athens in 1946 and his family originated from Filoti, Naxos. Since 1983 he has been living in Heraklion, Crete. He studied drawing under P. Tetsis, graphic design under D. Gounaridis and art history under E. Vakalo, at the Vakalo Art and Design School. Until 1980 he worked as graphic designer. He became an avid painter following a two-year stay (1980-1982) near the painter and sculptor Lydia Sarri. In 1987 he held his first solo exhibition and his works were deeply appreciated by Thomas Fanourakis, Giorgos Thomas Georgiadis and Aristides Vlassis. Since then, he has held thirteen solo exhibitions and has also participated in several many group exhibitions. In the same year, he run a painting workshop for adults at the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation Cultural Centre; in 1999, he was honoured by the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation for his cultural activity. Starting on 2003, he taught painting for 4 years at the Archanes Friends of Art Association. In 2006, he created the “Art Workshop”, where he taught until 2012. In 2019, he created the multi-panelled mosaic “Peace” on the pier at the port of Heraklion as a present to the city that has embraced him. Several of his works are exhibited in the Heraklion Museum of Visual Arts, the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation, the Municipalities of Agios Nikolaos, Chersonissos, Drymalia (island of Naxos), Vamos, as well as in private collections in Greece and abroad. He is a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece and a founding member of the Heraklion Visual Artists Network. A. Vlassis, N. Psyllakis, D. Xiritakis, L. Sarri, G. D. Michelakis, P. Ch. Karampelas and K. Fanourakis have written texts on his work. From 1962 to 1996 he worked at the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization.