Demetrios Galanis
Encyclopedia
Demetrios Galanis was an early twentieth century Greek
artist
and contemporary and friend of Picasso. In 1920, the year he completed his `Seated Nude', he exhibited alongside such major figures of modern art as Matisse and Braque, while from 1921 on he also exhibited alongside Juan Gris
, Dufy, Chagall and Picasso.
By the early 1920s Galanis was famous in France and preparing for shows in Brussels, London, and New York. In 1920-21 he frequently exhibited in Paris and in 1922 his first one-man exhibition received the enthususiastic critical response that established his reputation. 'Seated Nude' was among the pictures exhibited, and in an introduction to the exhibition André Malraux
described the artist's work as "having the power to stir emotions equivalent to that of Giotto."
This show established Galanis’ reputation as a painter and confirmed the favourable opinions already expressed on the quality of his work. Critics of his time paid much more attention to his figurative work than his landscapes, confirming the well-established view that Galanis’ first and foremost concern was his love for the human form.
Galanis received greater critical acclaim abroad in his lifetime than any other Greek modern artist of the early 20th century. The French state honoured him with the highest distinctions: full professor at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and a life-long member of the Académie française
.
Having moved to Paris in 1900, living close to Montmartre
for fifty years in Rue Cortot, Galanis developed his artistic talent beyond painting. He was also known for his illustrative wood engravings in books, such as the Heritage Press edition of Sophocles
' Oedipus the King
and the Cresset Press edition of John Milton
's Paradise Lost
.
The most significant collection of Galanis' work can be found at the Teloglion Foundation at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
, though examples can also be found in London's Tate Gallery
. Galanis' most famous Seated Nude sold at auction for $221,860 in May 2006.
' Greek Sale as doubts over the authenticity of the piece caused a stir in the art world. The signature at the bottom right of the painting did not match those of two almost identical paintings with the same title. One in London's Tate Gallery
features the artist's signature on the bottom left, one recently sold in Stuttgart
has it in the bottom centre.
The version that was due to be auctioned at Bonhams, valued at €64,000-€89,000, bears the artist's signature in black. According to the catalog, it was discovered in Germany by the current owner and is an example of a less well-known period of Galanis' work between 1907 and 1909 when he was working at various German publications. The piece was probably painted between 1909 and 1913.
The version sold in Stuttgart's Nagel
Auction fetched only €9,000 because of doubts over the signature. The signature is in orange and with a long tail on the 's' in the surname, which is not on the painting at Bonhams. After a Greek Art expert had examined the painting sold in Germany, he concluded that the signature was made some time after the painting had been finished, leading to speculation that it was a forgery, hence leading to the withdrawal of the Bonhams lot for further investigation.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and contemporary and friend of Picasso. In 1920, the year he completed his `Seated Nude', he exhibited alongside such major figures of modern art as Matisse and Braque, while from 1921 on he also exhibited alongside Juan Gris
Juan Gris
José Victoriano González-Pérez , better known as Juan Gris, was a Spanish painter and sculptor who lived and worked in France most of his life...
, Dufy, Chagall and Picasso.
By the early 1920s Galanis was famous in France and preparing for shows in Brussels, London, and New York. In 1920-21 he frequently exhibited in Paris and in 1922 his first one-man exhibition received the enthususiastic critical response that established his reputation. 'Seated Nude' was among the pictures exhibited, and in an introduction to the exhibition André Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
described the artist's work as "having the power to stir emotions equivalent to that of Giotto."
This show established Galanis’ reputation as a painter and confirmed the favourable opinions already expressed on the quality of his work. Critics of his time paid much more attention to his figurative work than his landscapes, confirming the well-established view that Galanis’ first and foremost concern was his love for the human form.
Galanis received greater critical acclaim abroad in his lifetime than any other Greek modern artist of the early 20th century. The French state honoured him with the highest distinctions: full professor at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and a life-long member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
.
Having moved to Paris in 1900, living close to Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
for fifty years in Rue Cortot, Galanis developed his artistic talent beyond painting. He was also known for his illustrative wood engravings in books, such as the Heritage Press edition of Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
and the Cresset Press edition of John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
.
The most significant collection of Galanis' work can be found at the Teloglion Foundation at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest Greek university, and the largest university in the Balkans. It was named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, Chalcidice, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia...
, though examples can also be found in London's Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
. Galanis' most famous Seated Nude sold at auction for $221,860 in May 2006.
Forged signature controversy
In May 2008, one of three Galanis paintings titled Lady in White was removed from an auction scheduled for 20 May in BonhamsBonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's and Christie's, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees....
' Greek Sale as doubts over the authenticity of the piece caused a stir in the art world. The signature at the bottom right of the painting did not match those of two almost identical paintings with the same title. One in London's Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
features the artist's signature on the bottom left, one recently sold in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
has it in the bottom centre.
The version that was due to be auctioned at Bonhams, valued at €64,000-€89,000, bears the artist's signature in black. According to the catalog, it was discovered in Germany by the current owner and is an example of a less well-known period of Galanis' work between 1907 and 1909 when he was working at various German publications. The piece was probably painted between 1909 and 1913.
The version sold in Stuttgart's Nagel
Patrick Nagel
Patrick Nagel was an American artist. He created popular illustrations on board, paper, and canvas, most of which emphasize the simple grace of and beauty of the female form, in a distinctive style descended from Art Deco...
Auction fetched only €9,000 because of doubts over the signature. The signature is in orange and with a long tail on the 's' in the surname, which is not on the painting at Bonhams. After a Greek Art expert had examined the painting sold in Germany, he concluded that the signature was made some time after the painting had been finished, leading to speculation that it was a forgery, hence leading to the withdrawal of the Bonhams lot for further investigation.