Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas (Greek: Νίκος Χατζηκυριάκος–Γκίκας; February 26, 1906 – September 3, 1994) was a leading Greek painter, sculptor, engraver, writer and academic. He was a founding member of the Association of Greek Art Critics, AICA-Hellas, International Association of Art Critics.

He studied ancient and Byzantine art as well as folk art due to his adoration for the Greek landscape. During his youth he was exposed in Paris to the avant-garde European artistic trends and he gained recognition as the leading Greek cubist artist.

His aim was to focus on the harmony and purity of Greek art and to deconstruct the Greek landscape and intense natural light into simple geometric shapes and interlocking planes.

His works are featured in the National Gallery (Athens), the Musee d’ Art Moderne in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of New York and in private collections worldwide.

Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas was born in Athens in 1906. His father was the admiral Alexandros Hadjikyriakos, and his mother Eleni belonged to an old navy family of Greece. His father During his teen years (1918–1922) his family recognized the potential of his talent and arranged for him to study painting with the famous artist Parthenis. In 1923 he went to Paris to study French Literature and Esthetics at the Sorbonne University. During his first months in Paris he participated in an exhibition that took place in the Salon des Indépendants. In 1924 he continued his studies in painting and engraving at the Academie Ranson. In 1927 he had his first exhibition at Gallerie Percier. Picasso himself noticed and commented the works of the young Greek artist.

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