Michaeledes was one of the gallery’s longest standing artists and it is with pleasure that we show a range of works from his early, figurative paintings from the 1950’s right up to his last works.

Michael Michaeledes was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1923. He studied Architecture and Fine Arts at Milan University, Italy & Central Polytechnic, London, settling in London in 1955 to work as an artist and architect. Early paintings were figurative, however, an early interest in contrasting light and shade can be seen.

Figuration was gradually abandoned by Michaeledes through abstract processes and gave way to juxtapositions of colour and line. His style grew more abstract over time, and finally he abandoned the use of paint entirely, working with just canvas and wood.

In later works, Michaeledes shaped and warped wooden frames across which he would stretch unprimed canvas. The final pieces are reliefs that cast deliberate and geometrically patterned shadows. Michaeledes cites the marble reliefs of Ancient Greece as inspiration for these works.

Michaeledes’ first solo exhibition was in 1959 at Leicester Galleries, London and he went on to exhibit in 40 solo and over 80 group shows, representing Greece at the 1976 Venice Biennale. His work is held in museums, foundations and private collections all over the world. His design and architectural work includes many residential buildings and interiors, warehouses, boats, a farm/safari lodge in Zambia and a stable in Newmarket. Michaeledes won the Philadelphios Panhelennic poetry competition, Athens in 1954.