Record prices for Nata Mela and Georgios Jakobides

Paris – Soldat dansant le zeibekiko by Yiannis Tsarouchis (1910-1989), which came to auction from a prominent Athenian collection, was the top lot at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr Greek Sale in Paris yesterday (Wednesday 21 May 2025). The work sold for €381,400. One of the most important representatives of the "30s Generation", the artist embodied in his work the ideal of "Greekness" and created a unique personal style, depicting landscapes, still lives, nudes and allegorical scenes. Mavrokefalos Café by the same artist sold for €162,960 against an estimate of €70,000 to €100,000. It shows the entrance to a traditional neoclassical establishment in central Athens frequented mainly by sailors and soldiers. The sale made a total of more than €2.9 million with 73% of lots sold (99,96% by value).

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

Director of Art Expertise in Athens, Terpsichore Angelopoulou, commented: "Tsarouchis, Moralis and Engonopoulos are some of Greece's most beloved modern painters. These works are the best ambassadors for Greece's contemporary culture and we have been delighted to showcase an impressive selection of their paintings. Among women's artists represented in the sale, Sophia Vari achieved an impressive result of €70,250 against an estimate of €20,000 to €30,000 and Nata Mela's sculpture sold for €53,740 establishing a new world auction record for the artist."

"We were honoured to collaborate with The Hellenic Initiative in supporting the Greek community and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement. This event was just the beginning of what we believe will be a long and impactful partnership." added Terpsichore Angelopoulou.

Executed in 1994 and then exhibited in Athens at the Benaki Museum in 2022, Les orangers by Yiannis Moralis (1916-2009) sold for €203,600, twice its pre-sale estimate. Moralis was a member of the famous and highly influential "30s Generation" of Greek painters. Works by other members of the group also performed strongly at the sale including:

• Nikos Engonopoulos (1907-1985), Tragédie à Hérodion, oil on canvas, 1955 sold for €152,800. Flooded with light and colour and bathed in a translucent atmosphere of dazzling clarity and glow, this exquisite painting is one of the finest examples of the artist's mastery of colour.

• Fotis Kontoglou (1895-1965), Guerriers des montagnes pendant la révolution Grecque de 1821, chahutés par la muse populaire, oil on canvas, 1945 sold for €121,050, more than twice its estimate. The composition's sobriety and technique closely resemble those of portable religious icons, characterized by meticulous detail. Its flat spatial rendering, lack of chiaroscuro, inner spiritual light, earthy tones, and stylized forms are rooted in the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine artistic traditions.

• Georgios Bouzianis (1885-1959), Garçon assis avec un bras levé, oil on canvas painted circa 1928 sold for €70,250 (estimate: €50,000-€70,000). This important canvas, one of the most important paintings by Bouzianis ever to appear in the auction market, shows why the artist was widely acclaimed in Germany as a prominent figure of the avant-garde in the late 1920s.

Other highlights included:

• The auction paid tribute to Greek women including Sophia Vari (1940-2023), Vent du Sud, bronze polychrome with black patina sold for €70,250, more than three times its estimate of €20,000 to €30,000 and Nata Mela (1930-2019)with her iron sculpture describing Orpheas. Estimated €12,000-€18,000, it sold for €53,740, more than four times its estimate establishing a world auction record for the artist.

• Student of Yannis Moralis at the Athens School of Fine Arts, where he studied from 1956 to 1960, Alecos Fassianos (1935-2022) continued with studies in lithography in Paris (1960-1963), on a scholarship from the French government. In the following years he travelled between Paris and Athens. His work is dominated by the human figure such as this painting entitled Rencοntre d'un été executed in 1987 sold for €63,900.

• Untitled by Georgios Jakobides (1852-1932) sold for €38,400, setting a new world record price for a work on paper by the artist.

The Hellenic Initiative is a global non-profit organization that brings together Diaspora Greeks and Philhellenes to invest in Greece through programs focused on economic development and humanitarian aid. Since its founding in 2012, THI has invested more than $23 million in Greece and has grown to be the largest Greek Diaspora organization in the world.