'Charmed lives in Greece: Ghika, Craxton, Leigh Fermor' exhibition in the British Museum

28/3/2018

GALLERIES

If you are going on a city trip to London for one of the weeks, be sure to visit the British Museum. The unique exhibition 'Charmed lives in Greece: Ghika, Craxton, Leigh Fermor' will run in the museum until 15 July 2018.

BY HANAN, 3 minutes read

British artist John Craxton was very open about his long-standing relationship with his partner Richard Riley until his death in 2009.

This exhibition focuses on the friendship between John Craxton and the other artist Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, and writer Patrick Leigh Fermor and how they were inspired by their time in post-war Greece. Their shared love for Greece has resulted in an exhibition of brilliant creative works, archival photos and a video in which the three speak themselves.

Charmed lives

The artists Craxton (1922-2009), Ghika (1906-1994), and writer Leigh Fermor (1915-2011) first met at the end of World War II. Their shared love for the Greek world led to a friendship that lasted the rest of their lives and contributed to the golden age of Anglo-Greek cultural cooperation. This exhibition shows the influence on their work through their encounters in Greece, especially in each other's houses on the islands of Hydra, Crete and Corfu, and in the town of Kardamyli in the southern part of Peloponnese, the largest peninsula in Greece and south of the Greek mainland.

John Craxton

Craxton belonged to a generation of post-war British artists who sought inspiration in the light and colours of the Mediterranean. Craxtor was a bon vivant who found a new freedom in Greece and settled in Crete, where he painted his landscapes, people and animals. He has held solo exhibitions in Greece and London and was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1993. Since his death in 2009, his work has received increasing attention.

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika

Ghika is one of the most famous modern Greek painters. He studied and exhibited in the twenties and thirties in Paris, where he encountered a wide circle of artists, including Picasso. He represented Greece at the Venice Biennale in 1950, and his work was widely shown in exhibitions in Greece, England, France and elsewhere. He was a member of the Academy of Athens and an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Patrick Leigh Fermor

Leigh Fermor is best known for his exploits during World War II and later for his travel stories. While serving in the army in Crete, he staged the kidnapping of a Nazi general, an episode that was turned into a movie. His books were mainly inspired by his travels in Greece, but the most famous is his walk through Europe when he was eighteen. Leigh Fermor was a charismatic storyteller with a gift for languages and friendship.