Paris, 20 May 2026 - Included in various artist's solo exhibitions in Greece, Poésie (Annonciation) by CONSTANTINOS PARTHENIS (1878-1967) leads Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr's Greek Sale in Paris on Wednesday 20 May. It is the largest painting of the artist ever offered at auction and is estimated €300,000 to 500,000. This oil on canvas executed circa 1950 blends symbolism, spirituality, and abstraction to express higher ideals like faith, harmony, and transcendence. The style, marked by delicate lines, simplified forms inspired by ancient Greek art, soft translucent colors, and open canvas space, creates a serene, almost otherworldly atmosphere. Influenced by Symbolist artists such as Maurice Denis, Odilon Redon, Gustave Moreau, and Puvis de Chavannes, Parthenis emphasizes the spiritual dimension of art. At the center, sits a young woman, representing both the Virgin Mary and Poetry, symbolizing peace, harmony, and divine inspiration. She gestures toward an angel above while holding a scroll, suggesting sacred or poetic text.
Overall, the work reflects Parthenis' belief that art, poetry, and faith can elevate human consciousness to a higher spiritual level. This very important painting was presented in a prominent space, in the last retrospective of the artist in 2022, at the National Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum in Athens.
The Greek Sale is a collaborative sale put together by Bonhams in Paris and its associates in Athens, Art Expertise. Terpsichore Angelopoulou, Art Expertise Director, said: "Amassing such a great collection and discovering hidden gems and missing links in the history of Greek Art is still a challenging and fascinating experience. We keep responding to the demands and expectations of collectors of Greek art in Greece and abroad".
Full Moon H by YIANNIS MORALIS (1916-2009), the master of geometric abstraction, demonstrates solid structure, purity of form, disciplined rhythm, harmonious proportions, and an ingenious interplay of gently flowing curves, Full moon H achieves a striking balance between physical passion, lyrical feeling and intellectual thought. It is estimated at €250,000-350,000.
From a private collection in Athens, Sur le toit-terrasse, ile de Tinos by NIKOLAOS LYTRAS (1883-1927), oil on canvas painted circa 1923-1926, is one of the twenty oils that represented Lytras's oeuvre at the 1936 Venice Biennale (estimate: €70,000 - 100,000). Sur le toit-terrasse captures the brilliance of the Cycladic landscape, while demonstrating the artist's interpretative approach to nature. It describes a highly expressive painting style where bold brushwork and thick layers of paint create a strong physical presence. Dynamic diagonal slopes and flowing, curved lines organize the composition, giving it structure and energy.
Other highlights of the sale include:
Erotokritos et Aretoussa by THEOFILOS HADJIMICHAEL (1871-1934) is a large fresco transferred on canvas (estimate: €100,000-150,000). This rare surviving fresco was hosted originally from a mansion on Lesvos and later preserved by transferring it to canvas. The scene depicts the romantic meeting of Erotokritos and Aretoussa in a lush garden, with the lover climbing to her balcony. The lively and theatrical composition is enriched by architectural elements and a vivid interplay of fabrics and colors, especially striking blues balanced with ochres and reds. These colors reflect a blend of Byzantine art harmonies, Western influences, and traditional Greek elements, creating a vibrant and expressive visual narrative.
Le Zeybekby NICHOLAOS GYSIS (1842-1901) is an oil on canvas painted circa 1873 (estimate: €50,000-70,000). In 1873, Nikolaos Gysis and Nikiforos Lytras traveled to Asia Minor to study local life, even painting on-site, an unusual activity that briefly led to their arrest on suspicion of espionage before their release by the Greek consul. The described portrait shows a young Zeybek figure, rendered with a restrained palette that highlights his striking traditional costume, especially the bright white garments and elaborate headgear. The Zeybeks, known for their independence and resistance to Ottoman modernization, are depicted as symbols of strong regional identity and defiance. This journey deeply influenced Gysis' art, leading him to blend his academic training from the Munich School with a more personal and authentic vision of the Orient, which he experienced not as exotic fantasy but as a familiar and lived reality.
Pont à Santorin by NIKOS HADJIKYRIAKOS-GHIKA (1906-1994), oil on canvas painted in 1963, describes a dynamic, highly abstract depiction of Santorini by the artist (estimate: €60,000-80,000). Ghika transforms the island's complex architecture into a swirling, fragmented composition, inspired by Paul Cézanne and post-cubist ideas. Through broken geometric forms, sharp angles, and spiraling lines, the painting conveys both structure and intense emotional energy, evoking poetry as well as architecture. The distorted, dense imagery also echoes Byzantine artistic traditions and may allude to the island's 1956 earthquake. Overall, the work merges geometry with expressive, almost musical rhythm, reflecting a deep continuity in Greek artistic heritage.
From a private collection in Athens, Femme avec miroir dans un intérieur is an early work by NIKOS HADJIKYRIAKOS-GHIKA (1906-1994). This painting evokes the vibrant atmosphere of Parisian studios before the war. The work reflects his ability to absorb and reinterpret influences from major modern artists, especially Pablo Picasso. The image of a young woman with closed eyes, likely inspired by Picasso's Le Rêve from the Ganz collection, and the motif of a woman with a mirror draw directly from themes common in Picasso's early 1930s work. Ghika uses these elements, including stylized forms and decorative details, to explore ideas of beauty and duality, demonstrating his skill in adapting modernist influences into his own artistic language (estimate: €40,000-60,000).
The Greek Sale is a collaborative sale put together by Bonhams in Paris and its associates in Athens, Art Expertise.
Selected highlights from the sale will be on preview in Athens at Amalias 36, Amalias Ave. 10558 from 4 to 6 May from 11 am to 8 pm and the entire sale will be available to view in Paris at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, 6 Avenue Hoche on 16 May from 11am to 6pm and from 18 to 19 May from 10am to 6pm.
(Press Release)
