Yiannis Moralis (1916-2009) Lot n° 116

* Près de la mer situé, daté '2006' et signé en grec (en bas à droite); signé et daté 'Yannis Moralis/2006' (au revers) huile sur toile 132 x 82cm (51 15/16 x 32 5/16in). located, dated and signed in Greek (lower right); signed and dated (on the reverse) oil on canvas £68000-100000 Provenanace Private collection, London. Exposé Athens, Zoumboulakis Galleries, Moralis, November 16/December2006, no. 3 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue and shown in photographs with the artist in his studio). Littérature To Vima newspaper, November 19,2006 (mentioned and partially shown in a photograph with the artist). Y. Kondos, Secret Landscapes, Topos editions, Athens 2014, pp. 140- 141 (discussed). “That wonderful painting by Moralis titled Près de la mer. A monument of restraint, with the sea ascending towards the sky, and with that red soul in the middle of the composition leading us to a good future.”1 Yannis Kondos, November2006 This mesmerizing painting reflects the artist's long preoccupation with the inner rhythm and musical resonance generated by the combination of varied types, shapes and colours. As Nobel laureate O. Elytis once said of Moralis, “by using a limited vocabulary of form, in which recurrent and opposing curves dominate, Moralis has succeeded to transform the language of the natural world into a purely visual phenomenon. Memories and encounters are repeatedly distilled until they blend into forms of great simplicity and precision.”2 From the 1970s to the first decade of the 21st century, Moralis had consistently adhered to the principles of geometric abstraction, exploring its mystical pathways and taking his place among its leading exponents.3 As noted by D. Papastamos, former Director of the National Gallery in Athens, “this, more advanced stage of his geometric abstraction is distinguished by dynamic rhythm and expressive movement. It seems to me that these are the artist's happy moments, depicted in a beautiful environment of luminous colour and irresistibly erotic humanity.”4 As noted by Peggy Zoumboulaki, the ten paintings exhibited in Athens in2006 were created during the last five years on the island of Aegina, the place where Moralis worked and spent most of his time. “Even though the artist never spoke about his art, this collection reveals a high degree of sensitivity, evoking personal experiences, feelings and memories.”5 1 Y. Kondos, “Yannis Moralis: Love, Abstraction and the Sea in his Last Exhibition”, November2006, in Secret Landscapes, [in Greek], Topos editions, Athens 2014, pp. 140-141. 2 O. Elytis, preface to the Moralis exhibition catalogue, Iolas- Zoumboulakis Gallery, Athens 1972. 3 K. Koutsomallis, “The Painting of Yannis Moralis, a Tentative Approach” in Y. Moralis, Traces, Museum of Contemporary Art/Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, Andros2008, p. 30. 4 D. Papastamos, “Yannis Moralis the Artist”, in Yannis Moralis, Commercial Bank of Greece, Athens 1988, p. 26. 5 Preface to the Moralis exhibition catalogue, Zoumboulakis Galleries, Athens2006.