111 - NIKOS HADJIKYRIAKOS-GHIKA (1906–1994)

NIKOS HADJIKYRIAKOS-GHIKA (1906–1994) Intricate Branches / Tree Tops II signed and dated “Ghika 80” (lower left) oil on paper 50 x 30.5 cm. (19.7 × 12.0 in.) Painted in 1980 oil on paper Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, Athens. Exhibitions Athens, Zoumboulakis Gallery, Ghika 1978–1981, April 8–early May 1981. Literature K.C. Valkana, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, His Painting Oeuvre, Benaki Museum edition, Athens 2011, fig. 510, p. 313 (cataloged and illustrated). Steeped in an atmosphere of subtlety and movement, this intricate interplay of rhythmically orchestrated shapes—immersed in a mellow atmosphere and rendered in a glowing palette of seductive hues—reflects Ghika’s aim in the early 1980s to break away from geometric abstraction and return to a freer, less formal expressive language: his outlines become looser, the pictorial design flows more freely, and the color appears fresher thanks to the use of lighter tones. Everything seems to take part in a pagan-like celebration of expressive color and vibrant, pulsating form. “By venturing beyond geometric rules, you gain something else: more spontaneity and greater freedom.”1 As Ghika himself noted, “every artist who is by nature a colorist carries within him his own harmonies of color, which are never exactly those of nature but those of his own ideal of nature.” In my case, these harmonies are mainly composed of mauves, grays, and pinks—but sun-drenched, sun-saturated colors that have at the same time preserved something of the brightness they might have possessed in a less harsh light.”2 Discussing Ghika’s paintings from around 1980, art historian K.C. Valkana noted that the wild nature of his earlier works is replaced by a verdant and blooming one conveying the joyful atmosphere of spring or summer, like his renowned Cretan gardens from 1950.3 Reviewing the artist’s 1981 exhibition at the Zoumboulakis Gallery, which featured *Tree Tops II*, art critic H. Livas noted: “Ghika is the most important Greek painter of the twentieth century, and in this exhibition he both continues with subjects and themes he has explored over the years and adds something new. The end result is a fresh and tender view of nature—a nature more dreamlike and mellow than in the past, though still triumphant... It’s hard to leave one Ghika painting and move on to the next.”4 1. Ghika interview with A. Grimani, “Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, The Clock of Memories” [in Greek], Ena magazine, no. 49, October 5, 1990, pp. 115–118. 2. E. Roditi, “An Interview with Ghika,” Charioteer quarterly, vol. 1, no. 2, Fall 1960, p. 55. 3. See K.C. Valkana, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, His Painting Oeuvre [in Greek], Benaki Museum, Athens 2011, pp. 245–249. 4. H. Livas, *Contemporary Greek Artists*, Vantage Press, New York 1993, p. 19. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Items subject to the artist’s resale right, payable by the buyer. For further information on this lot, please visit Bonhams.com