Paris – One of the greatest Greek paintings ever offered at auction, L' Apothéose de Athanassios Diakos by Constantinos Parthenis (1878-1967), sold for €644,313 at Bonhams Greek sale in Paris on Wednesday 24 November. The crown jewel of the famous Spyros Loverdos collection, the work had been estimated at €350,000-550,000. In total, the sale made €4,197,508 with 78% sold by lot and 90% sold by value.
The sale was put together by Bonhams in London and its associates in Athens, Art Expertise. 2021 marks 20 years of close and successful partnership between the two businesses.
The auction result caps an impressive year for Bonhams Greek Art department since it moved its sales to Paris. The inaugural Paris Greek sale in May made €2,874,188 which together with the result of the November sale makes a total for the year of €7,000,000.
Moving the Greek sale to Paris was part of Bonhams expansion in France and for the convenience of buyers, most of whom are based in Europe. The shift from London to Paris has certainly been greatly appreciated by the Greek art collecting community with a marked and sustained increase in registrations.
L' Apothéose de Athanassios Diakos was painted in 1927 and pays homage to the Greek hero Athanasios Diakos, who is depicted ascending to heaven on the upper right-hand side of the canvas. Diakos, an ordained deacon in the Greek Orthodox Church, was one of the leaders of the 1821 uprising and War of Independence, the 200th anniversary of which is being marked this year. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he amassed troops to fight the Turkish forces. They clashed with Omer Vrionis's army at the bridge of Alamana – not far from the pass of Thermopylae, where in 480 BC Leonidas and his handful of Spartans famously died heroically resisting the Persian invaders. On May 5, 1821, Diakos with only 700 men fearlessly defended the bridge against a far superior Turkish force, but despite putting up a valiant display of fighting, he was captured and executed.
Bonhams Greek Art specialist, Anastasia Orfanidou, said: "In an exceptionally strong sale, Parthenis' outstanding masterpiece L' Apothéose de Athanassios Diakos stood out and I was delighted – but not surprised – that it sold for such a high price. It is undoubtedly one of the finest-ever paintings by a Greek painter – and its subject is especially topical this year, of course, as we mark the 200 anniversary of the 1821 Uprising."
Director of Art Expertise in Athens, Terpsichore Angelopoulou, commented: "We are happy to see that both established and emerging collectors from Greece and abroad are enthused by Greek art. Some of the lots we secured for this sale are true milestones in the history of Modern Greek painting and reflect the unique character of Hellenism in the last 200 years. These works of art are great history lessons and make the best ambassadors for Greece's contemporary culture".
Other highlights included:
• Constantin Paleologos l'empereur des Gréco-Romains à la bataille du 23 Mai 1453 by Theofilos Hadjimichael. This monumental work is one of the few surviving murals by Theofilos, rescued from decay and destruction, and transferred onto panel from its original wall in a village on the artist's home island of Lesvos (Mytilene). Sold for €350,313 (estimate: €120,000-180,000).
• Scholiastes d'un texte futur / Composition a la lampe by Nikos Engonopoulos (1907-1985). The artist had an almost spiritual relationship with individual colour and this work, painted in 1958, this work is seen as one of this finest exposition of his mastery of colour. Sold for €275,313 (estimate: €130,000-180,000).
• L'offrande, an important work by Nikolaos Gyzis (1842-1901). Dated 1874, this well-known canvas is regarded as a masterwork of 19th century Greek genre painting and a milestone in the painter's artistic development. Sold for €250,313 (estimate: €200,000-300,000).
• Nature morte au Samovar by Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas also known as Nico Ghika (1906-1994). Dating from 1955 the painting is one of the artist's finest works of the period. It reflects his fascination with still-life's capacity to transcend time and space constraints. Dazzling with light and colour, the work is testament to Ghika's belief in the sovereign rule of geometry and architecture. Sold for €212,813 (estimate: €120,000-180,000).
26 November