19th and early 20th century Greek artworks go under the hammer
Nearly 300 works of 19th and 20th century art will be offered for sale at an auction in two parts held by Petros Vergos auctioneers at the Athens Plaza Hotel on Thursday and May 20. A viewing of the works on sale at the first auction opens today at the Athens Plaza Hotel in Syntagma and will run through Wednesday. This first part of the auction will include paintings and sculpture, most by renowned Greek artists. Among the works, a painting by the late 19th century painter Nikolaos Gyzis is, according to the auctioneers, a previously unknown work which is on the market for the first time. The painting depicts a young, female servant who has just arrived at her new employers’ place. Apparently, it remained in the artist’s studio until 1909 and was sold by his heirs to a German collector. Constantinos Didaskalou, who is an expert on Gyzis, is said to have determined the painting’s authenticity. Vergos auctioneers expect that the painting’s final bid will exceed 100,000 euros. Other important works include the portrait of a lady by Giorgos Iakovidis (estimated at 100,000-150,000 euros), the reputable late 19th century artist known for his portraiture and endearing family scenes, «The Hunt» by Nikiforos Lytras (80,000-120,000 euros) and Thodoros Rallis’s portrait of a young girl (40,000-60,000 euros). There are also paintings by Constantinos Parthenis, Constantinos Maleas, Yiannis Tsarouchis and Yiannis Spyropoulos. Greek artists of the younger generation are also included. Thirty engravings are among the works available in the auction’s second part. Vergos auctioneers single out Dimitris Galanis’s «The Papal Palace in Avignon,» apparently one of the artist’s most famed woodcuts, estimated at 3,000-4,000 euros. This is the seventh consecutive auction that Vergos auctioneers have held on Greek paintings. The auctioneers’ expertise lies in rare books, Greek folk art objects and works related to philhellenism. For information, contact tel 210.362.0084 or log on to www.vergoauctions.gr.
