Greek Art — the Next Big Thing?

by Zoe Strimpel
Fri, 7 Mar 2008 at 5:19 PM

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For some time, the art market has been rumbling with hunger for all things Russian (old and new) and Chinese (mainly new). So it stands to reason that it's begun sniffing about for the next big thing. Could Greek art be it? Sotheby's has released a breathless press release preparing us for "its most important Greek sale to date" on April 17. We're meant to be very excited by the presence of 10 pieces by Constantinos Volanakis and seven by Georges Jakobides, two (apparent) stars of the 19th century Greek art world. Volanakis was a celebrated marine artist (his career began with idle sketches of the harbor, which he faced from his office in his brother in law's sugar firm). Jakobides was a master of child portraiture and is prized for his humorous depictions. Though you'd little know, Greek Art at Sotheby's made £15.6 million in 2007. Good paintings by Jakobides, for examples, are expected to sell in the region of £250,000. Another star of the show is Constantinos Parthenis, considered the father of modern Greek painting. Up for sale here will be 'A Tree-Lined Road' (estimated at between £80,000 and £120,000), a mysterious, softly vivid painting of a winding avenue with clear Symbolist influences (Parthenis rubbed shoulders with Gustav Klimt, the archetypal Viennese Symbolist).

The collection will certainly strike many as refreshing- as for whether Greek art is the next big thing or not, perhaps it's too early to say.

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