Visual Perspectives
W
OD DS
CREATING AGAINST THE
hat Krisann and Euthym Kontaxis always wished for their three boys was a full life that would see them making a contribution to the world and supporting themselves while doing something they loved. Their faith and hopes were borne out: Michael, the eldest, became a filmmaker; and Christian, the youngest, is a medical student attracting attention for his research into COVID-19. But for years, the notion of fulfillment, let alone fame and fortune, seemed an impossible dream for the couple’s middle son, who, at the pivotal time he was starting to walk and talk, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor causing severe developmental damage. However, at age twenty-four, it is Nicholas Kontaxis who has a higher profile than either of his brothers, wowing the world with paintings and making a living through his art against all the odds. Despite suffering fifty thousand seizures to date, Nicholas has emerged as an internationally collected young artist whose paintings command up to five figures and hang on the walls of celebrities at home in the US and abroad, including those of tennis ace Roger Federer. On the one hand, it seems astonishing for a young man who cannot communicate with his clients through conventional language; on the other, it’s not surprising given the immediate appeal of his dramatic, vibrant canvases, which show a real love of color and an absolute joy in the process of spreading paint.
48 | AUGUST 2020
By ANTHEA GERRIE Photography courtesy of NICHOLAS KONTAXIS
