10 Facts About Nassos Daphnis

Nassos Daphnis was a Greek-born American abstract painter, sculptor and tree peony breeder.

Nassos Daphnis began as a realist and following the war, moved on to biomorphic forms with a Surrealist influence.

From March 24-April 11,1947, Nassos Daphnis had an eponymous solo exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Gallery at 106 E 57th St, New York at which his biomorphic paintings were featured.

Once, in his youthful years, Nassos Daphnis painted a vision of heaven and hell; but in those days his purgatory was as charming as his paradise, the devils a toy army.

Nassos Daphnis's style is frequently compared with Piet Mondrian; however, Daphnis saw Mondrian's approach as a jumping off point.

For nearly forty years Nassos Daphnis was represented by the Leo Castelli Gallery.

Nassos Daphnis received his first solo exhibition at the gallery, Pixel Fields, from September 17-October 24,2015 and his diptych 4-A-78,4-B-78,1978 was included in the group exhibition, Ballet Mecanique from January 16-February 20,2016.

Today Nassos Daphnis' work is in the collections of many significant public art institutions.

Nassos Daphnis created approximately 500 tree peonies and 48 of them were named and registered with the American Tree Peony Society and further propagated.

Nassos Daphnis eventually became partners with Gratwick in the business and art of hybridizing tree peonies, creating many beautiful cultivars and naming them after artists and figures in Greek mythology.