Greek paintings on sale at Bonhams auctioneers
Last year, Bonhams auctioneers conducted their first sale of Greek paintings. The sale was held in London following a viewing of the works in Athens. This year, the British auction house is repeating its «Greek Sale» and now offering a substantially larger number of works than the previous year. One hundred works by 19th and 20th century Greek and European artists, all on Greek-inspired themes, will be auctioned off at Bonhams on April 1. Several of the works consigned will be on view at the Epistrofi Gallery from March 19-21. Included among the sale’s highlights are «Port of Marseilles» by the late 19th century painter Pericles Pantazis, a Greek artist who made a career in Brussels and is known for his post-impressionist-like, pastel-colored landscapes. The Bonhams painting is typical of the artist’s work and is estimated at í100,000-150,000. It was originally auctioned from the Pantazis workshop in Brussels in 1885 and has since remained in the Francois Frank and Gaston Perrin collections. A work that has never appeared at auction before is «Family Portrait» by Nicholaos Xydias Typaldos. It is one of the largest paintings of a genre that Typaldos is known for and is estimated at í75,000-95,000. Another highlight, «Before Dusk,» is unusual for being one of the few landscape paintings by Constantinos Volanakis, the famous 19th century painter of maritime scenes. The work is estimated to fetch í45,000-65,000. There is also «Festival, Athens,» a painting by the Thirties Generation painter Spyros Vassileiou whose works are especially popular for their nostalgic view of old Athens. The painting’s estimate ranges from í15,000-20,000. Also of interest is «Rosa Kleid,» a watercolor by the expressionist painter Giorgos Bouzianis, a work initially owned by the Leipzig Gallery which first showed Bouzianis’s work in the early part of the century (Bouzianis lived for many years in Germany), which then passed it on to the Redger Collection in Munich. It was recently acquired by the artist’s son, Panos. The works of Bouzianis are some of the most highly priced in the market; this watercolor is estimated at í35,000-45,000. The works will be on view at the Epistrofi Gallery (6 Taki, Psyrri, tel 210.321.8640) from March 19-21 and after that at the Bonhams salesrooms at 101 New Bond Street from March 27-31 (tel 44.020.7629.6602).
