Georgios Bouzianis (Greek, 1885-1959) Portrait of young man (self-portrait) signed, inscribed and dated 'Jo Busianis/Paris/931/' (lower right); signed and inscribed 'Manes Bild' on the pass-par-tout watercolour and pencil on paper 63 x 48 cm. Footnotes: Provenance Heinrich Barchfeld collection, Leipzig. Alexander Fischer collection, Munich. Private collection. Exhibited Athens, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Athens Cultural Capital of Europe, Yorgos Bousianis, October 21 - December 8, 1985, no. 34 (discussed, p. 47, and illustrated in the exhibition catalogue). Athens, Municipal Gallery, Hommage Bouzianis, 1990 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, p. 38). Literature Bouzianis Watercolours, Agra editions - The Friends of Bouzianis', Athens 1982, p. 86 (listed), p. 42 (illustrated). D. Deliyannis, Yorgos Bouzianis 1885-1959, Adam editions, Athens 1996, no. 314, p. 296 (catalogued), p. 97 (illustrated). This stunning portrait from the artist's Paris output (1929-1932)1 formerly in the collection of German sculptor Alexander Fischer,2 with whom Bouzianis co-exhibited at the Chemnitz Kunsthütte in May 1927, demonstrates some of the key signature traits—swift rendering of the subject, fluidity of line and pulsating spread of colour—that bestowed Bouzianis's noteworthy reputation among the European avant-garde in the 1920s. Reviewing the artist's 1928 exhibition at Barchfeld's in Leipzig, Dr. H. Hofmann argued that Bouzianis's watercolours confirm his status as one of the greatest artists of his time.3 1 Professor D. Deliyannis, who prepared the artist's monograph, uses this portrait to illustrate his point that 'during his Paris years, Bouzianis focused on diligently rendering the world of appearances—landscapes and faces—and on adapting to the requirements of the watercolour medium without lessening its dynamic quality.' D. Deliyannis, preface to Yorgos Bousianis, exhibition catalogue, National Gallery - Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Athens 1985, pp. 47, 57. 2 Alexander Fischer (1903-1981), who held Bouzianis in great admiration and respect, had in his possession a significant number of his works, of which he owned one or two and the rest (7 oils, 32 watercolours and 30 drawings) he held in trust, since WWII, on behalf of gallery owner in Leipzig and Bouzianis's lifetime supporter and soul mate Heinrich Barchfeld. After Fischer's passing in 1981, his inheritors sold almost all works to Greek collectors who brought most of them to Greece. Part of the Fischer collection was shown in the Bouzianis 1985 retrospective at the National Gallery in Athens. See George Bouzianis, Letters to H. Barchfeld [in Greek], National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, Athens 1989, pp. 44, 305. 3 H. Hofmann, Leipziger Abendost daily, 6.9.1928. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com