Painting

Object number2007.131.158

Date1962

MediumAcrylic paint; board

Credit LineGift of Helen Contis

DescriptionUnfinished multicolored acrylic painting. Greek columns, steps; beige, pinks, and white dots on right side. Blue background.Dimensions16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm)
SignedUnsigned
InscriptionsManufacturer's Mark "Fredri 8" and "10". English Engraved Back
Historical NotesPeter 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 his wife 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.

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