The panter and iconographer Spyros Papanikolaou was born in Monastiri, Triphylia, in 1906 and passed away in Athens in 1986.
He studied sculpture at the School of Arts under professor Thomas Thomopoulos (1927–1932). In 1937, his interest turned to painting and particularly toward iconography, which he practiced alongside Fotis Kontoglou. He also engaged in set design, working for the National Theatre. His subject matter includes seascapes, still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and religious iconography (Kapnikarea, St. Dimitrios in Ampelokipoi, among others).
He participated in group exhibitions in Greece and Sweden.