Nikos Nikolaou was born in Hydra in 1909.

In 1929 he enrolled at the School of Fine Arts, Athens, where he studied painting under Constantinos Parthenis and Umbertos Argyros.

A year after graduating, in 1937, together with his friend Yiannis Moralis he moved to Rome and later to Paris to continue his studies.

In 1949 he co-founded the art group ‘Armos’, together with artists: Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, Yannis Tsarouchis, Yiannis Moralis, Nikos Engonopoulos and Panayiotis Tetsis. ‘Armos’ held its first exhibition in 1950 at Zappeion, Athens.

In 1960 he moved to the island of Aegina where he was often visited by artists, intellectuals and art lovers.

In 1964 he was elected a professor at the School of Fine Arts, Athens and taught drawing until his retirement in 1974.

He worked on many fresco commissions and illustrated numerous books. In 1986, after his death, his book ‘Η περιπέτεια της γραμμής στην τέχνη’ was published. The book discusses theory, experimentation and his experiences in art.

The human figure, either female or male, is the main subject matter of Nikolaou’s work. His work is influenced by ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian Art as well as by Greek Folklore.

His work can be found in the National Gallery of Greece, the Municipal Gallery, Athens, the Municipal Gallery, Rhodes, the Leventis Gallery, the Averoff Gallery, the Vorres Museum, the Benaki Museum and many other public and private collections.