Iakovos Rizos

Iakovos Rizos was born in Athens in 1849, the year his grandfather, the scholar and politician Iakovos Rizos Neroulos, died. Coming from a wealthy family, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Alexandre Cabanel. He would remain in the French capital for the rest of his life. Internationally better known as Jacques Rizo, he adopted his teacher’s academic style and did not embrace Impressionism. He regularly exhibited at the Paris Salons; also, the Expositions Universelles of 1878 and 1900. Although he lived in Paris, he also maintained an exhibition presence in Athens, participating in the Panhellenic exhibitions of 1888 and 1889 at the Zappeion Exhibition Hall, the Athens Art Exhibition in 1899, and the Parnassos Literary Society’s shows in 1901 and 1902. His most popular work is the oil painting "On the Terrace" (also known as "Athenian Evening", 1897). In addition to landscapes, his paintings often feature nymphs, society ladies, and languid, sensual women of the Belle Époque, usually in interior settings. He died in Paris in 1926.