Lot 105: Koula Bekiari (Greek 1905-1992)

Girl with straw hat
signed in greek (lower right)
oil on hardboard
83 x 67 cm. (32 5/8 x 26 3/8 in)

Painted c. 1956-57

Exhibited:
Athens, Zappion, 5th Panhellenic Exhibition, 1957, no. 250.

Literature:
Toni Spiteris, Three Centuries of Neohellenic Art, volume B, Papyros, Athens 1979, p. 228 (illustrated)
Stelios Lydakis, Koula Bekiari Paintings and Prints, Melissa publications, Athens 1976, p. 35 (illustrated)
Kathimerini newspaper, 26.6.1957 (in the art critic column)

A student of Theofrastos Triantafyllides, Bekiari studied painting as well as printmaking. Her remarkable feeling for colour relationships is evident in the present portrait which relies on the unfettered use of a strong red for its expressive qualities. Volumes lose their substance through loose brushstrokes and veils of colour, creating a tone of mystery in the work. Bekiari was well respected by her peers and served on the board of critics for the Panhellenic Exhibition of 1957.