Greek art sale in Paris to feature famous Nikiforos Lytras painting amongst others

Left to right: Yiannis Moralis (Greek, 1916-2009) Pleine Lune I. Estimate: €300,000-€500,000; Nikos Engonopoulos (Greek, 1907-1985) L’ Archéologue. Estimate: €120,000-€180,000. Photo: Bonhams

An iconic painting by Greek artist Nikiforos Lytras (1832-1904) is to be offered for auction in The Greek Sale at Bonhams Paris on 18 May. Jeune fille faisant le baigne (Girl washing her hair) is a highly evocative image of rural life from the era, illustrating Lytras’ adherence to local traditions and customs deeply rooted in Greek folk culture. It has an estimate of €220,000-€280,000.

The work has a lot of dimensional depth in spite of the artist using a limited palette of subdued and unvaried hues that perfectly match the era following the style guidelines of the Munich School, especially those of Karl von Piloty, under whom the artist studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Lytras, often referred to as the Patriarch of Modern Greek painting, enjoyed an illustrious career, his works attracting a dedicated and ever-growing clientele including some of the period’s most prominent collectors.

The sale also includes works by artists belonging to a group of revered and influential Greek painters who had a profound influence upon Greek art in the 20th century, such as Yiannis Moralis and Nikos Engonopoulos among others. Pleine Lune I (Full Moon I), painted by Moralis (1916-2009) has an estimate of €300,000-€500,000.

L’Archéologue (The Archaeologist), painted in 1943 by Engonopoulos combines the ancient past with modern-day elements to subvert the conventional ways in which rational thought perceives the world at an estimate of €120,000-€180,000.

“In a strong sale, the stunning Jeune fille faisant le baigne by Lytras stands out for its serene beauty, and the wonderful artistry with which the painter has captured this intimate domestic moment,” Bonhams Greek Art specialist, Anastasia Orfanidou, said. “It is a very special work by an artist who is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential Greek painters of the 19th century.”

Other highlights of the sale include:

Constantinos Parthenis (Greek, 1878-1967). Vierge tenant l’Enfant Jésus. Estimate: €150,000-200,000

Theofilos Hadjimichael (Greek, 1871-1934), Hercule tue L’hydre de Lerne. Estimate: €140,000-€200,000

Chryssa (Vardea) (Greek, 1933-2013), Les portes de Times Square, New York. Estimate: €80,000-€120,000

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghykas (Greek, 1906-1994), Cabines de campagne. Estimate: €60,000-€80,000

The Greek Sale is as ever a collaborative sale put together by Bonhams in London and its associates in Athens, Art Expertise.

Selected highlights from the sale will be on preview in Athens at Amalias 36, Amalias Ave. 10558 from 4 – 7 May and in Paris at Bonhams, 4 rue de la Paix from 14 and 16 – 18 May.

Neoskosmos.com