Lot 117: Nikos Nikolaou (Greek 1909-1986)

Three figures
signed in greek and dated '60' (lower right)
oil on canvas
128 x 96 cm. (50 1/2 x 37 3/4 in.)

In 1936 Nikolaou participated in the Venice Biennale and a year later went to Rome and then Paris to continue his studies. His work is exclusively figurative and is rooted in the traditions of ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Greek folk art, and his figures are always imposing with clear outlines. In his early works, the artist employed flat colours but as his style matured, he allowed his figures to be bathed in a diffused light which gave them a sense of three-dimensionality.