Greek art flying off the block

The painting is a feast of colors and allegories - the body of the Homeric hero shines under the light as he places three flowers on his bird cage-for-a-head. The ancient philosopher, dressed in a green tunic, is carrying three fish in his hand. Between the two stands another faceless figurine: a woman dressed in Belle Epoque-style garb holding a clock. Around them, the painting features white clouds in a blue sky, several utensils, fruit, buildings, a checkered tilework.

"Scène homérique avec le héros," which was painted by Nikos Engonopoulos in 1938 and exhibited in the 1954 Venice Biennale, was sold at a recent auction held by the London-based auction house Bonhams for £682,550 (763,890 euros), exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £150,000-200,000 by far.

"You never know how passionate a potential buyer can get about a particular work of art," Anastasia Orfanidou, a...

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