9 may 2011 greek sale press release final

8/7/2019 9 May 2011 Greek Sale Press Release Final

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For Immediate ReleasePress Release London

London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Kelly Signorelli-Chaplin | [email protected]@[email protected]@sothebys.com Matthew Floris | [email protected]@[email protected]@sothebys.com

Major work by VolanakisMajor work by VolanakisMajor work by VolanakisMajor work by Volanakis to Highlightto Highlightto Highlightto HighlightSotheby’s GreSotheby’s GreSotheby’s GreSotheby’s Greek Sale in London on 9 Mek Sale in London on 9 Mek Sale in London on 9 Mek Sale in London on 9 May 2011ay 2011ay 2011ay 2011

---Sale to also include Masters of Greek Modernism---

Elegant Figures At The Shore by Constantinos VolanakisConstantinos VolanakisConstantinos VolanakisConstantinos Volanakis, estimated £300,000-500,000

Constantinos VolaConstantinos VolaConstantinos VolaConstantinos Volanakisnakisnakisnakis (1837-1907), Elegant Figures At The Shore, estimate £300,000-500,000

SOTHEBY’S GREEK SALE, on Monday, 9 May, 2011Monday, 9 May, 2011Monday, 9 May, 2011Monday, 9 May, 2011, will draw together an exceptional array of Greek art,

with important examples of 19

th

and 20th-century masters such as ConstantinosConstantinosConstantinosConstantinos VolanakisVolanakisVolanakisVolanakis, KonstantinosKonstantinosKonstantinosKonstantinosMaleasMaleasMaleasMaleas, and Nicos HadjikiriakosNicos HadjikiriakosNicos HadjikiriakosNicos Hadjikiriakos----GhikaGhikaGhikaGhika. The sale of 132 lots is estimated to fetch in excess of £4 million.

Speaking about the sale, Constantine Frangos, Senior Director,Constantine Frangos, Senior Director,Constantine Frangos, Senior Director,Constantine Frangos, Senior Director, Greek and 19th Century EuropeanGreek and 19th Century EuropeanGreek and 19th Century EuropeanGreek and 19th Century European

Paintings, Sotheby’s, LondoPaintings, Sotheby’s, LondoPaintings, Sotheby’s, LondoPaintings, Sotheby’s, Londonnnn,,,, commented, “We are very pleased to be offering once again a selection of high

quality Greek paintings to an international audience. We expect the Volanakis to attract much attention and we

look forward to welcoming collectors from Greece, Europe as well as the rest of the world.”



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The sale will be highlighted by Elegant Figures At The ShoreElegant Figures At The ShoreElegant Figures At The ShoreElegant Figures At The Shore by Constantinos VolanakisConstantinos VolanakisConstantinos VolanakisConstantinos Volanakis (1837-1907),

estimated at £300,000-500,000. In this monumental panorama, Volanakis deploys all of his painterly

talents to present the viewer with a wealth of detail, from the rich tones of the lower left to the delicately-

observed playing children. This work is a prime example of Volanakis’ sensitive depiction of atmospheric

conditions and natural elements within the cadre of the traditional marine painting. The painting is infused with

delicate detail, complementing while not overwhelming the calm, growing ambiance for which Volanakis’ work

is renowned, revealing impressionist, plein air tendencies stylistically advanced for Greece at this time.

Volanakis is an artist of great importance in both the 19th century and marine genre, most notably for his

position as a key member of the Greek ‘Munich School’ movement of academic realism, almost belying the

warmth and immediacy of his seascapes. The sale will also include four more masterpieces by Volanakis.

Further highlights include masterpieces by Konstantinos MaleasKonstantinos MaleasKonstantinos MaleasKonstantinos Maleas (1879-1928). His Olive Trees, Mytilini Olive Trees, Mytilini Olive Trees, Mytilini Olive Trees, Mytilini

(pictured below), carries an estimate of £80,000-120,000. At the beginning of the 20th century, painters

such as Maleas, Parthenis and

Papaloukas endeavored to create a genuine and

modern form of plein air painting. Using as his

models French Post-Impressionism, Fauvism and

Nabis Symbolism, Maleas tried to capture the

ideosyncracies of the Greek light and the varying

landscapes of his homeland. Often

executed outdoors with spatulas on small

pasteboard or wooden panels, Maleas' poetic landscapes feature a supremely gestural approach. Maleas

travelled to Mytilini in the 1920s and it is likely the present work was painted during one of these trips.

Maleas’ TheTheTheThe Shore, AtticaShore, AtticaShore, AtticaShore, Attica (pictured right), estimated at £70,000-100,000, belongs to a series of paintings

by the artist entitled Attica's Shores.

Influenced by the Post-Impressionist

movements of the early 20th century,

Maleas' work is dominated by vibrant

colours and thick brushstrokes. His

technique of applying paint in

layers was influenced by his teacher

Henri Martin under whom he



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studied in Paris from 1901 to 1908. Maleas' pivotal importance in Greek painting is ascribed to the

assimilation of Pont Aven symbolism; the arabesque line and flattened space of art nouveau, and the rich

colouring of the Fauves. Often executed en plein air with spatulas, Maleas' poetic landscapes represent a

supremely gestural approach that displaces the painted with the painting as the artist's priority.

Estimated at £100,000-150,000, Nicos HadjikyriakosNicos HadjikyriakosNicos HadjikyriakosNicos Hadjikyriakos----Ghika'sGhika'sGhika'sGhika's

impressive FlowersFlowersFlowersFlowers, dated 1937, typifies the Greek early twentieth

century preoccupation with creating pictorial languages at once

international and quintessentially Greek. Beginning and ending his

life in Greece, Nikos Hadjikiriakos-Ghika began his artistic

scholarship under Konstantinos Parthenis in Athens, relocating to

Paris to enrol at the Sorbonne, the Ranson Academy and the studio

of Dimitris Galanis. This erudite, well-travelled and sophisticated

background would nourish a hungry mind, open to the concept of an

analytic and mathematical form of modernism. The sale will include

seven more exceptional works by Hadjikyriakos-Ghika.

The House That He Dreams Of (Hydra)The House That He Dreams Of (Hydra)The House That He Dreams Of (Hydra)The House That He Dreams Of (Hydra) by Michalis Economouby Michalis Economouby Michalis Economouby Michalis Economou (1888-1933), is a rich work which

demonstrates Economou's talents as a colourist and observer of light, with the intense and variegated orange

and yellow hues sensitively combined with pinks and blues,

the whole reflected in the calm waters (estimate

£100,000-150,000). The whole shimmers, mirage-like,

at the foot of the soft, earthy hill. Economou initially went to

Paris in 1906 to study architecture, but soon changed his

mind and enrolled at the Académie des Beaux-Arts instead.

The twenty years during which he lived and worked in

France had a profound influence on his oeuvre. In particular

the work of Manet and Matisse and their modern theories

on composition and colour were adapted by the artist to suit his individual artistic vision.



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Other highlights will also include important works by Nicolas Gysis, Yiannis Gaitis, Paris Prekas, Thanos

Tsingos, Theofilos, Yiannis Spyropoulos, Alekos Kontopoulos, Nikos Eggonopoulos, Diamantis

Diamantopoulos and Alekos Fassianos .

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9 may 2011 greek sale press release final

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