Manolis Charos was born on the island of Kythera in 1960. He grew up in Athens and in 1977 went to study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He received his degree in 1982 with honours and went on to do a postgraduate degree in visual communication at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, also in Paris.
In 1984 he received the Prix des Fondations from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He still spends part of the year in Paris, issuing most of his print works there, while several of his print works can be found in the Cabinet des Estampes in the National Library of France (BNF).
In 1991 he travelled to the United States where Absolut Vodka used works of his for its advertising campaign. These works are housed in Spiritmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1994 he represented Greece at the Cagne-sur-Mer International Art Festival in France. In 1998 he received an award from the Academy of Athens for artists under 40. In 2000-01 he worked at Princeton University, as an invited artist
In 2011 he held his Aesop’s Fables exhibition and in 2019 he held his Treasure Island exhibition at the Benaki Museum.
In addition to Athens and Thessaloniki, he has also held exhibitions in Paris, Bologna and London. His works can be found in large private collections in Greece, France, Germany, Italy and the USA, as well as in public museum collections in Greece and abroad. His works have also appeared in auction houses in London (including Bonhams and Sotheby’s), Paris and other cities.