The painter Koula Bekiari was born in Athens in 1905 and passed away in 1992.
She apprenticed painting under her mother, Anna Bekiari, and later under Th. Triantafyllidis (painting) and G. Velissaridis (printmaking). She traveled to France and Italy.
She painted landscapes, still lifes, and primarily portraits. She engaged in figurative painting with an expressionist disposition, bold brushwork, and rich color paste. In the morphoplastic elements of her works, particularly in the color and the way she gradates tones to give an unreal dimension to light, a strong influence of O. Redon is observed.
She presented her work in solo exhibitions (Nees Morfes 1960; ATI 1964; Astor, Athens 1976). She also participated in group exhibitions (SEK 1929; Venice Biennale 1934; Eleftheroi Kallitechne 1935, 1939; Panhellenic Printmaking Exhibition 1938; Panhellenic Exhibitions 1938, 1939, 1940, 1948, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973; Griechische Graphik, Leipziger Messe, Leipzig 1940; Grekisk Konst, Konstakademien, Stockholm 1947; Mostra di Pittrici e Scultrici Greche, Galleria Comunale, Rome 1960; São Paulo Biennale 1961; Alexandria Biennale 1963; Salon International de l’Art Libre, Paris 1964 – silver medal; Mostra Annuale Italiana d’Arte Grafica, Ancona 1966 – silver medal; Montecatini Biennale, Italy 1969; Post-war Printmaking, National Gallery 1988; Tribute to Woman, Yakinthos 1998, etc.).
Her works are located at the National Gallery, the Municipal Art Galleries of Athens and Rhodes, the Collection of the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation (MIET), and elsewhere.
She published articles on artists, including “His last painting…” (“Zygos” 15, 1957) and “Papantoniou as a man” (“Zygos” 29, 1958).
She was a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece (EETE).