On the occasion of the donation of works by Nicholas Egon (1921-2017) by Stamatia Komninos and Nicholas Alexandros Komninos to the Teloglion Foundation of Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the exhibition presents paintings and drawings from 1948 until the last years of his life. The exhibition is organized in two sections: landscapes and portraits, with the common denominator being the artist’s special knowledge and love for Greece.

Nicholas Egon is a very interesting case of an artist, both for his work and his life. He was an educated, cosmopolitan, multilingual, philhellenic and well-travelled man.

In 1949 he went to Greece where he made portraits of King Paul I and Queen Frederica and other members of the royal family. He then came into contact with the recent events of the Occupation and the Civil War (he attended the battles at Vitsi and Gramos) and undertook the creation of a triptych commissioned by King Paul of which he completed only the central section, “The Hunger in Athens”. During his stay in the country he depicted women, refugees, rebels and orphaned children.

At the same time, from the early 1950s he embarked on a successful international career as a portrait painter.

Along with portraiture, the other major aspect of Egon’s art is landscape painting. During his travels and stays in Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sicily, and Greece (from 1978 onwards) he depicted landscapes and archaeological sites.

His Greek landscapes stand out from this set and show a wide range in relation to the selected locations and to the moments of the day, the seasons and the lighting conditions. He also had a remarkable knowledge of the place through his discussions with distinguished historians, intellectuals and archaeologists.

Overall, Nicholas Egon’s art is characterized by the excellence of his composition and his technical mastery with a variety of media (oil, pastel, watercolor, charcoal, hematite, chalk). One can also distinguish the dynamic balance of colours in his landscape paintings and his particular handling of line in his portraits and, above all, his ability to convey each time the personality of the people and the particular vibration and music of each place.

Exhibition duration: Friday 8 March 2024-Friday 31 May 2024.

Exhibition opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-14:00, Wednesday 9:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:00, Saturday & Sunday 10:00-18:00.

Τeloglion Foundation
Αghiou Dimitriou 159A, 546 36, Thessaloniki
Tel: 2310 991377, press@teloglion.gr