Paul SOULIKIAS, born Paleologos Soulikias, was born in Komotini, Greece, on 13 October 1926 and died in Larissa, Greece, on 17 January 2023.

Raised in Volos, he experienced the hardships of the German Occupation and the Greek Civil War before turning seriously to art. He studied painting in Athens and later continued his artistic development in Paris, where he studied the works of the great European masters. In 1959, he settled in Montreal, Canada, where he would build a long and successful career as a painter.

Soulikias became known primarily for his Canadian landscape scenes, particularly views of Quebec, the Laurentians, autumn forests, winter landscapes and rural settings. His work also included still lifes, portraits and scenes inspired by his travels in Greece, the United States, the Canadian Maritimes and Mexico.

His painting is characterised by rich colour, harmonious composition and a poetic response to nature. Working mainly in oil, but also in gouache, watercolour, charcoal and mixed media, Soulikias developed a figurative style influenced by expressionism and marked by warmth, vitality and sensitivity to atmosphere.

In 1965, he received first prize in a competition for Neo-Canadian artists organised in Montreal, an important recognition that helped establish his reputation. He later exhibited widely in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, New York, Athens and other cities in Canada, the United States and Greece. His paintings were shown in important galleries, including Galerie L’Art français and the Dominion Gallery in Montreal.

Works by Paul Soulikias are held in public and private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe, including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the City of Montreal and other institutional collections. He remains recognised as a Greek-Canadian painter admired for his lyrical landscapes, expressive colour and enduring contribution to Canadian figurative painting.