A visit to the Villa Meltem
The sculptor Mara Karetsos, who hails from Thessaly but lives on Park Avenue in New York and exhibits in Paris and Japan, spends her summers in her studio in St Tropez. Along with a few Greek friends, she visited the Villa Meltem, where the hydrangeas were in full bloom and a large Cycladic statue stands beside the pool, a purchase from the Benaki Museum, according to the owner, businessman Sacha Niklan. «My wife loves everything Greek,» he said. The beautiful, chic Renee Niklan is herself an artist. Born in Istanbul to Spanish parents, she lives with her husband in Geneva. Her exhibition «Message Informel» last fall in London and the Alexia Goethe Gallery was a great success. Along with her own works there are paintings by Alekos Fasianos in her lovely salon, along with sculptures such as a bronze bull, by her friend Natalia Mela. The works of sculptor Mara Karetsos meanwhile, are permanently on show at the Byblos gallery in St Tropez.
