437 - John CHRISTOFOROU (1921–2014)

John CHRISTOFOROU (1921–2014) "The Red Warrior," 1986 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower left Titled and dated on the back of the canvas 198 x 169 cm Framed PROVENANCE Private collection, Paris Resale royalty payable by the buyer. Description: Born in London in 1921 to Greek parents originally from Smyrna, John Christoforou spent part of his childhood in Athens and briefly attended the city’s School of Fine Arts in 1935. After serving in the Royal Air Force, he devoted himself to painting, exhibited for the first time in London in 1949, and moved to Paris in the mid-1950s. There, he exhibited at the Rive Gauche Gallery, alongside artists such as Enrico Baj and Asger Jorn, and remained associated with the gallery until 1976. An early figure in the “New Figuration” movement, he participated in the 1962 exhibition “Une nouvelle figuration II” at Mathias Fels, alongside Paul Rebeyrolle, Jean Messagier, Bengt Lindström, Irving Petlin, and Pierre Tal-Coat. His expressionist paintings, featuring vivid colors outlined in black, place the human figure and its drama at the center of the work. Winner of the AICA Prize in London in 1965 and naturalized as a French citizen in 1990, he died in Paris in 2014. He was part of the Greek diaspora in Paris, alongside Takis, Constantin Byzantios, Costas Tsoclis, Yiannis Gaïtis, Pavlos, and Alekos Fassianos. His works are on view at the Tate, the National Gallery of Athens, the Frissiras Museum, and in several French fine arts museums.