Georgios Derpapas was born in Katerini, central Macedonia in 1937.

At the age of twenty, he moved to Hamburg where he studied political and economic sciences. Ten years later he returned to Greece and from 1960 onwards devoted himself entirely to painting.

In his early work, one can observe the influence of Surrealism and the imaginative spirit of the Vienna School. From this early stage, Derpapas demonstrated his great draughtsmanship and painting skills, through a combination of realism and abstract distortion of his subject matter. From 1964 onwards, he expressed himself strongly in colour, using oil on canvas or panel.

As his work progressed, we can witness the influence of Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Marx Ernst combined with ancient and Byzantine art, often depicting objects, people, animal or religious figures in unique imaginary landscapes, thus evoking a sense of mystery. His work is known for challenging the observers preconditioned perceptions of reality.

Derpapas has held many solo shows and participated in a large number of group exhibitions in Greece and internationally, such as at the Tillybs Gallery, Hamburg and Die Insel Gallery, Manheim (1964) and the Panhellenic Exhibition (1967, 1969 and 1971).

His work can be found in the National Gallery of Greece, the Municipal Gallery of Athens, the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art, the National Bank of Greece, and many other public and private collections.