The painter and printmaker Tonia Dendrinou-Nikolaidi was born in 1927 in Athens, where she also passed away in 2011. She was the wife of the sculptor Giorgos Nikolaidis.
She studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts under K. Parthenis and O. Argyros, and printmaking under G. Kefallinos (1946-1952).
Using various techniques (incorporation of photographs, natural materials, etc.), she created serial works (e.g., “Hot Sand”, “Paper Ships”) featuring themes such as seascapes, sandy beaches, human figures, trees, animals, and birds, in a subjective, symbolic manner characterized by simplicity, clarity, and sensitivity. Her origin from Ithaca and her visits to the island influenced her work.She published texts on art, illustrated books, and collaborated with publishing houses and galleries for the publication of books and albums containing her woodcuts or copper engravings.
From 1979 onwards, she presented her work in 18 solo exhibitions (Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Hydra, Paris, Ghent) and from 1959 in group exhibitions in Greece (e.g., Panhellenic Exhibitions of 1960, 1965, 1986) and abroad, including Biennials (Ljubljana 1979, 1981, 1983; Alexandria 1980 – prize and gold medal; Fredrikstad 1982 and 1989 – jury prize and gold medal; ROC Taipei 1983, 1985 – honorable mention) and Printmaking Biennials (Baden-Baden 1981, Mulhouse 1982, Varna 1983, 1987, Lodz 1985, Krakow 1986, Liège 1987, New York 1988).
She was a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece, the International Federation of Cultural Women (FICF), the Printmaking Center Group, the SMTG Krakow, the Union of Greek Printmakers, among others.
In 1999, she was honored with the Academy of Athens Award.
Her works can be found in the National Gallery, the MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art, the Averoff Gallery, the Municipal Galleries of Athens, Mytilene, Rhodes, Chania, and Heraklion, the Florina Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ionian Bank, the National Bank of Greece, the Ministry of Culture, and the Printmaking Museums of Sofia, Lodz (Poland), Fredrikstad (Norway), and elsewhere.