Church yard, a watercolour catalogued as ‘attributed to George Pol Georghiou’ – £22,500 at Chiswick Auctions.
But his reputation also spread beyond his homeland, especially in the latter part of his career as he exhibited pictures in the 1950s at the Lefevre Gallery in London, Bernheim-Jeune in Paris, Apollinaire Gallery in Milan, the Stadt Casino in Basel and the National Museum Bezalel in Jerusalem.
Born in Nicosia, Georghiou became a self-taught artist in 1938 after abandoning his profession as a lawyer. He became an influential figure, being one of a number of artists who helped established a distinct practice of painting which was inspired by Cypriot culture and history.
His paintings and murals can be quite exuberant although a recent example that made a rare appearance at a UK auction was more restrained. The view of a church yard was offered at Chiswick Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) on November 8.
A 11¼ x 8¾in (29 x 22cm) watercolour, it was signed and dated 39 to the lower right. It also carried an inscription on the back which implied it had been given as a Christmas gift by an English couple in 1944.
It was catalogued as ‘attributed to George Pol Georghiou’ and estimated at £1500-2500. After a good competition emerged on the day, it sold at £22,500. While the artist has fetched up to €90,000 (£63,730) for larger oil paintings at auctions in Cyprus, this was the highest price for a Georghiou watercolour according to Artprice.
