Nikos Kessanlis

The present work pre-dates Kessanlis' move to Paris during which he began a close association with the New Realists and the theoretician Pierre Restany, relationships that engendered his use of objets trouvés in his work. While best known for his works in the art informel vein, An Evening Stroll is also a very textural examination of form, punctuated by spots of intense colour. From 1955 to 1960 Kessanlis lived in Rome, and was in Paris throughout much of the 1960s. This early work is evidence of a blossoming talent, a product of his environment and the teachings of his professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, Yannis Moralis.

Originally from Thessaloniki, Kessanlis settled in Athens to study at the School of Fine Arts and work in Yannis Moralis', Yannis Spyropoulos' and Nikos Nikolaou's workshops. He went to Rome in 1955 to study at the Italian Institute of Athens, specifically to study art restoration at the Instituto del Restauro. This training laid a strong foundation for his skilled manipulation of various media, and his use of the tactile and textural in his work.