‡Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) The Archilochos series Sixteen

‡Michael Ayrton (1921-1975)

The Archilochos series

Sixteen, all numbered 13/75

All etchings, unframed in original portfolio

Each 46 x 38cm (16)

This highly skilled and evocative series of etchings turned out to be the last major creative work by Ayrton, they were ready for printing by November 1975 and he died suddenly on 16th November. He had been haunted by Achilochos, the first personal poet of the Greeks for many years saying 'Archilochos is imprinted on me and I went looking for his ghost, on the islands of Paros and Thasos where he had lived in order to exorcise him by making etchings to illustrate his poems'.