Maria Fioraki was born in Archanes in 1912. She studied Law and until the age of 48 she was more involved in agricultural work, living close to nature. At a relatively mature age and after a sudden impulse she engaged in art. As a self-taught artist, she was first interested in sculpture and drawing and then turned to painting. Painter Thomas Fanourakis was her teacher, mentor and a huge admirer of her art who also supported her in her first steps. She present her work in relatively few exhibitions, starting with a group exhibition in New York in 1961 and then in Heraklion in 1962 and 1970.

She died in 1970 while preparing an exhibition of her works in Lavas, France following an invitation by the Henri Rousseau Museum. Her life as a painter was short. She painted most of her works in a three-year period full of creative passion.

Cretan naïve artists

cf. Lydakis, Greek naïve painting… ibid., where in addition to the earlier artists Georgios Pol[l]akis and Ioannis Anousakis there is a mention to Maria Fioraki and Nikos Fotakis, but also to more recent artists such as Alkiviadis Skoulas or Grylios, Polydoros Aerakis, Lia Agapiou Souli, Athena Manousaki, Fotini Milidaki, Aristodimos Papadakis, Stelios Markatatis, Manolis Saloustros or Kastrinomanolis, Ismini Sifaki, Irini Tachataki and Dimitris Tergiakis.