“Visage Violet”-Christophorus John

John Christoforou was born in 1921 in London to Greek parents from Smyrna. The grandfather on his mother’s side was a sculptor. Through an adventurous journey, during which he loses both his parents, he arrives in Athens in 1930. He studied for a short period at the Athens School of Fine Arts. During his stay in Greece he was influenced by Greek and especially Byzantine art. In 1938 he left for London, where he settled. In 1946 he discovered modern art and since then he has dedicated his life to painting.

In 1951 he lived in Paris for a year, discovering the great museums of the French capital. During this period of absolute solitude, he destroys most of the works from the time of his “apprenticeship”. The following year, again in London, in the popular district of Shepherds Bush, where a period of feverish and intense work begins. Through representation, which is present in his painting from the very beginning, his work opposes the trends of the time. In 1956 he settled in Paris with his life partner, Ruth. Since then he has been painting continuously and exhibiting his work in galleries and museums in Europe. He was honoured in London in 1965 with the International Association of Art Critics’ Prize. The National Gallery acquired his work in 1984. In 1993, “La Difference” published an important monograph that spans thirty years of the artist’s creative work. His works are in many collections in Greece and abroad.