Painting
Object number2007.131.8
Artist
Helen P. Contis
(died 2004)
Date1984
MediumAcrylic paint; paper
Credit LineGift of Helen Contis
DescriptionAcrylic painting on canvas. Multi-colored. Ruins in foreground. Trees and greenery. Red flowers on left side, above fan-like tree. Pottery on right corner. Dimensions17.875 x 24 in. (45.4 x 61 cm)Signed"Helen P. Contis / 2-16-84" lower right corner, in black.
MarksBackside, handwritten in pencil at top is title of painting in Greek.
In center, "Helen P. Contis / 747 S. Linden Ave. Pittsburgh, PA. / The Palace 1800-1600 B.C. / Knossos Krete of Minos".
Historical NotesThis painting is part of a large collection of paintings and sketches by Peter and Helen Contis. Peter Contis emigrated to Pittsburgh in 1910 and began working in the restaurant business with his brothers. Peter later returned to his homeland of Greece and met Helen in 1928; they married three months later. Moving back to Pittsburgh, Peter eventually opened a restaurant called the Neon Grill in 1932, while Helen raised their three children. Nearly thirty years later, the restaurant was closed and razed, allowing the Contis' to realize their talent in art. A religious man all his life, Peter began painting landscapes, both of Pittsburgh and Greece, and other still lifes, focusing on God's perfect affection in nature: his buildings are symmetrical and colors are vivid. Helen's talents were not revealed until after Peter's death in 1973, when she began to paint poetically the landscapes and still lifes on her own. Helen died in 2004.
Related person
Peter A. Contis
(died 1973)
On View
Not on view
